


Beyond the Tempest

by StarSource



Category: League of Legends
Genre: Adventure, Bandle City, Conflict, Noxus, Romance, Runeterra, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-29
Updated: 2019-09-04
Packaged: 2020-09-29 13:23:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 24,843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20436749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarSource/pseuds/StarSource
Summary: Kennen is feeling strange. After joining the Kinkou Order nine years ago, he finds himself longing to return to everything he left behind. He now has the chance to go back and search for answers. But with an international conflict on the horizon and unfinished business from his past, will he still be able to hold his position as the Heart of the Tempest?





	1. Unexpected Journey

**Hi, ** **I'm new to AO3! ** **:D.**

**This is a story I've been working on for a while (as time allows) and I have multiple chapters written for it, which I will be posting very soon. ** **Be warned, this is a yordle-centric story with a romantic subplot to it. The pairing(s) should be obvious as the story progresses and it wouldn't be any fun to give it away from the beginning. It would really awesome if you could take the time to comment on what you think about the story. **

**Enjoy :).**

* * *

**Unexpected Journey**

Bright beams of light poured into the valley as the sun rose above the high mountains of Ionia. The radiant warmth of the sunlight slowly spread throughout, giving life to the land as it progressed. Out of everything Ionia had to offer, it was its radiant beauty that enthralled Kennen the most. The young yordle was sitting on a cliff, high enough to overlook the Kinkou monastery, meditating. This was one of his favorite times of the day. He loved feeling the warmth of the sunlight on his fur as it roused him out of his meditating state only to be greeted by the astounding sight of an Ionia bathed in twilight. As he slowly got up to his feet, he felt the warm caress of a gentle breeze. Kennen closed his eyes and relished this moment of peace. The wind blew off the hood of his purple garb, exposing his bare face to the elements of nature. Kennen took a breath, opened his eyes, and slowly exhaled. He took one last look before readjusting his garb and turning to head back.

This had recently become a morning ritual for Kennen. As ninjas of Kinkou Order, they were trained to preserve balance in the world. However, to be able to preserve balance elsewhere one must preserve balance within themselves. In the past few months, Kennen had come to recognize that he had become particularly anxious. It's something he had been trying to deal with internally for the past few months. Kennen was starting worry that this would start to affect his performance in training and subsequent missions. What furstrated him the most was that he hadn't been able to identify the specific reason behind his anxiety, but what he did know was that it made him think of home. Although Ionia had become a comfortable home for him, he found himself longing to go back to Bandle City.

That's not to say Ionia and the Kinkou Order were all bad; it turned out to be quite the opposite in fact. The Kinkou Order gave Kennen a purpose to work towards, whereas before he didn't have much of an idea of where he was going. When Kennen was younger, he used to be quite mischievous and, as a result, would get into all sorts of trouble. This was partially due to the abundance of energy endowed to him; he didn't know how to direct it or where to direct it to. The arduous training Kennen underwent in the Kinkou Order helped him build discipline and, as a result, he was now able to control his impulses. Kennen also gained two new companions in Akali and Shen. In many ways, Akali and Shen had become Kennen's family and main source of social interaction. Akali was like an older sister to Kennen; always willing to listen to his grievances and help him solve internal problems. Shen was the older brother; always looking to help Kennen improve on his mistakes. Despite all of this, Kennen found himself reminiscing on memories of his old life in Bandle city with increasing frequency.

\- Flashback -

_"Kennen!" A scout shouted. "Get back here!"_

_"No can do sir! You gotta catch me first!" The blue-eyed yordle cheekily replied as he sped through the woods with a uniform in tow._

_"If you don't stop right now, you're gonna be in a lot of trouble!" The scout responded, struggling to keep up. Despite his words, the scout knew that his chances of getting him to stop or catch him were slim to none. He stopped to catch his breath. "Come on Kennen! We're already late to roll call. Can you please give me my uniform back?" He pleaded._

_"Roll call is boring anyways. This is a lot more fun!" Kennen replied with an energetic laugh._

_Before the scout could reply, a gruff voice intervened. "What's with all the commotion over here?"_

_Kennen looked to the source of the voice and saw a noticeably older yordle with a group of younger yordles following behind him._

_"Ah! Captain Rusk!" The scout saluted._

_"At ease scout." The captain said as said scout dropped his salute. "Now what seems to be the problem? You're both supposed to be at roll call." The older yordle said, eyeing Kennen._

_"Well I would be there sir, but this young yordle took my uniform and won't give it back to me." The scout explained._

_"And who might this young yordle be?" The captain asked as he eyed Kennen._

_"His name is-"_

_"I'm Kennen!" The young yordle responded with his everlasting smile. "And who are you?"_

_The captain lightly chuckled. "I see you're making trouble on your first day Kennen."_

_Kennen knew he had built a reputation in Bandle City as a trickster, especially among the scouts. It wasn't so rare that scouts were sent after him to stop him from causing more trouble. He couldn't help but smile at the recognition._

_"I'm the captain in charge of this camp, so you can call me captain Rusk." Rusk responded. "Now why did you take this scout's uniform?"_

_"I wanted to see if he could catch me!" Kennen replied with a wicked grin._

_"There will be plenty of time to play Kennen, but this is a scout camp and that means we're doing all the things scouts do including roll call." The captain explained. "So please return his uniform and line up with the rest of the campers."_

_"Okay." Kennen responded, holding his smile. "But only if you can catch me."_

_"Oh? And he hasn't caught you yet?" The captain inquired._

_"Nope!" Kennen proudly responded._

_"Kennen he is a captain. You have to follow his orders." The scout said with an annoyed tone._

_Rusk raised his hand to the scout signaling he had the situation under control. "Okay Kennen, since it's your first time at a scout camp why don't we make this a little fun." Rusk said with a smile. "If we catch you, then you have to behave for as long as you're in the camp." The captain proposed. "Sound fair to you Kennen?"_

_Kennen was not one to back down from a challenge. "You're on." He responded._

_As soon as he agreed, he felt a presence behind him so he turned his head to look over his shoulder to see a light furred yordle diving for him. Kennen instinctively jumped to avoid the surprise attack. Unfortunately for him, it was a set up. Now that he was in the air, there was no way to dodge the purple skinned yordle coming at him. Kennen struggled as he was pinned to the ground, but found that it was to no avail._

_"There's no use struggling Kennen. You know Trist is really strong." A familiar voice said._

_"Teemo?" Kennen called out as he opened his eyes and focused on the yordle on top of him. "And Tristana!" He said excitedly._

_With that, Tristana got off of the blue-eyed yordle and extended a hand to help him get up. Kennen gladly took her hand and rushed to hug her. He couldn't believe they were here._

_"Kennen!" Tristana called out as she pried the energetic yordle off of her. "You know how I feel about hugs." She said with a chuckle._

_"I know Trist." Kennen said, laughing. "I just couldn't help it."_

_Kennen turned to the male yordle next to Tristana and smiled. "Teemo!" Kennen called as he dashed forward to embrace said yordle._

_Teemo promptly returned the hug and chuckled. "It's good to see you again Kennen." He responded as they broke apart. "Where have you been? We've been looking all over for you in the city." Teemo asked with a serious tone._

_"Oh that?" Kennen said with a nervous chuckle. "I got into a bit trouble with my parents, so they haven't let me go around the city on my own" Kennen explained bashfully. "It's also part of the reason I'm at this camp."_

_Teemo sighed. "Should've known."_

_"And that answers that question." Tristana joked. "Well at least now Teemo will stop asking about you." She said with a smirk._

_Kennen gave her a confused look._

_"You should've seen him Kennen. He would ask me if I thought you were okay everyday he didn't see you around. He was so worried about you." Tristana explained with mischievous smile._

_"Trist! Stop!" Teemo shouted, crossing his arms. "I wasn't asking about him all the time anyways. I was just worried that something happened to him." Teemo said with a pout. "And don't pretend like you weren't worried too!" He accused._

_Kennen laughed at their antics and caught Teemo in another hug. "It's okay. I think it's normal to be worried about your friends." He said with a confident smile, which Teemo happily returned. "I really missed you guys."_

_"I missed you too Kennen." Teemo responded, breaking their embrace. "It's just not the same without you."_

_"I guess I missed you a little too." Tristana responded with a smirk as she ruffled the fur on his head._

_Teemo smiled, while Kennen giggled at Tristana's antics._

_Rusk cleared his throat to draw their attention. "You remember the deal right Kennen?" The captain asked, smirking._

_At first Kennen gave him a confused look, but then it dawned on him. He whirled around and pointed a finger at his two yordle friends. "Traitors!" He accused, which prompted Tristana and Teemo to fall down laughing._

_"No fair, it was 3 of you against me." Kennen protested._

_"I did say if 'we' could catch you." Rusk pointed out. "Kennen the scouts are not renowned for their individual skill, rather we are renowned for our ability to work together." The captain explained. "There is only so much you can do alone Kennen, but what you can achieve together has no limit."_

_Kennen took in what the captain said and nodded._

_"Don't worry captain, we'll keep an eye on him for you." Teemo said, putting a hand on Kennen's shoulder._

_"Yeah, we won't let him cause anymore trouble." Tristana responded._

_Rusk smiled at the four yordles before turning away and walking towards the rest of young yordles. After Kennen apologized to the scout and returned his uniform, the three yordle friends walked back together to line up for roll call._

\- Flashback End -

This longing had been intensifying as of late, which is why it was starting to worry him. He had spent nine years away from his home and never had he felt such an intense necessity to return. For the sake of preserving inner balance, the Kinkou order did not allow for members to write to loved ones and they strongly discouraged the formation of relationships with outsiders. For this reason, Kennen had been completely disconnected from his previous life. Since Kennen was constantly busy at the Kinkou monastery, with his duties that come with his position, he had no time to request a visit to his original home.

Purging these thoughts from his mind, Kennen started to make his way back to his residence. As he came down the path leading to the complex meant for the Triumvirate, he saw Akali and Shen standing at the intersection.

"Good morning Akali and Shen." Kennen greeted. "Is something the matter?" The yordle asked.

"Good morning Kennen." Shen responded. "We came to inform you that the Triumvirate is to have a meeting with the council this morning before any duties." Shen explained.

"Any particular reason for such a sudden meeting?" Kennen asked, since council meetings were usually arranged with plenty of forewarning.

Shen remained silent and looked over to Akali.

"They want to talk to you Kennen." Akali responded.

Kennen immediately felt knots grow in his stomach. "What about? Has my performance been deteriorating?" Kennen inquired with slight urgency.

"We're not sure Kennen." Shen said. "They did not tell us anything further from what we've told you."

Kennen nodded.

"Kennen." Akali called as she bent down to the young yordle. "Everything is going be alright. You've worked hard the nine years you've been here and have earned your place in the Triumvirate. There is no need to worry so much." Akali explained.

Kennen nodded once again, but, despite the truth behind Akali's words, he couldn't shake this feeling of uneasiness. The Triumvirate silently walked down the slope and headed towards the heart of the Kinkou Monastery, where the council would convene for meetings. The three ninjas stopped in front of a double sliding door and awaited further instructions.

"Come in." A voice emanated from inside the council room.

Shen slid the doors open and let Akali and Kennen come in before sliding them shut. Compared to formal government buildings, this was a far cry from anything luxurious. It was a simple larger than average room surrounded by wood walls on three sides and illuminated by candles and the natural light that poured in from the outside. The Triumvirate were now facing the five elders assigned to the council.

"Kennen, Heart of the Tempest, please step forward." One of the male council members said.

Kennen did as requested and stepped ahead of his two companions.

"It has come to our attention that you may be experiencing some distress as of late. While your performance has not dropped significantly, it has certainly staggered." Another councilman said.

Kennen's eyes briefly widened.

"You seem distracted young one. We often notice a forlorn look in your eyes as you gaze at the mountains or trees. Your once laser sharp focus has been waning; we can only imagine it is because something else demands your attention." A female council member explained. "Your two companions have also noticed that you have been waking up earlier than usual to head up the mountain. This change in behavior coupled with a reluctance to communicate leads us to this conclusion."

Kennen had no idea it was this blatant. He thought it was something he could deal with internally, so he has been masking it, but now that is was in the open, he didn't know what to do. He wasn't entirely sure where his anxiety stemmed from, so telling others would be of no use. At the same time, if it was affecting his duties to the Kinkou Order, he had an obligation to let them know about the problem. It was not good to keep secrets like this, but, on the other hand, he didn't want to show any weakness in front of the council.

"Young one, for the sake of the Triumvirate it is not wise to keep these internal problems to yourself. For if your comrades do not know of these problems, then they cannot help you alleviate them. It will thus become a permanent hindrance in not only your performance, but theirs as well since the Triumvirate was built upon balance of three." The other councilwoman said.

Kennen could not deny the truth in those words, yet he still hesitated to speak.

Shen raised a hand to speak.

"You may speak Shen, Eye of Twilight."

Shen bowed. "Kennen you are a vital part of the Triumvirate. As the Heart of the Tempest you have the task of spreading and enforcing the values of the Kinkou Order wherever you may go. Anything that impedes this task, impedes our whole purpose as the Triumvirate. For this reason, I ask that you share your grievances with us so that we may take appropriate action."

Kennen tensed his muscles, took a breath, and relaxed as he exhaled. "I go up to the mountains to enjoy the beauty of Ionia. It brings me peace to be the witness of such a display. In the past few months, I have been growing anxious for reasons outside of my understanding. I thought it was something I could deal with internally, but this feeling has been progressively growing in intensity as time passes. Along with this anxious feeling, I've had memories from my home resurface and have had a strong desire to return there."

"When you speak of your home, I assume you're referring to Bandle city correct?"

"Yes, that is correct." Kennen responded.

There was a moment of silence in the room.

"I apologize for not informing of this earlier. It was not my intention to hurt the Triumvirate or the Kinkou Order in any way." Kennen said with a bow. "I will do whatever is necessary to make up for my mistake."

"It's quite alright. It was not something we didn't see coming or, rather, Akali didn't see coming."

Kennen's gaze shifted to his female partner.

"You've been with us since you were a child Kennen, but not before you experienced the life of one in your home. Shen and I were born into this, you were not. It was only a matter of time before you would desire to go back." Akali explained.

That made sense to Kennen, but to call it a mere desire was an understatement; it felt like a necessity.

"There is more to it isn't there?" A male council member inquired.

Akali nodded. "Kennen has served as the Heart of the Tempest for years, since he was a child. The person he has built is just that. The time has come for him to find who Kennen really is." Akali explained, addressing the council.

Kennen shot her a questioning look; never had Akali's words confused him so much.

"I am in agreement with Akali. Even though Kennen is necessary for the Triumvirate to achieve true balance, he has to first find that within himself." Shen said in his usual monotone.

"Ah, I see." A councilwoman said. "Coming in from the outside to become the Heart of the Tempest is an impressive feat, especially for one so young. You have embodied that position well young Kennen." She said with a warm smile.

The ninja yordle turned to face her.

"Be that as it may, you were not born here and have lived elsewhere. That part of your life is a vital part of you; a part that you cannot afford to replace. The Heart of the Tempest is a difficult position as you navigate surrounded by a storm, which you tame. I'm afraid you may have lost sight of Kennen as you became the Heart of the Tempest." The councilwoman continued, closing her eyes for moment before reopening them again.

Kennen awaited her next words in suspense.

"You must go beyond the tempest."

The young yordle looked at her with a confused expression. "I'm sorry, but I'm not sure what you mean." Kennen responded.

"Kennen." One of the councilmen called.

The yordle turned to face him.

"You have expressed a desire to return to Bandle City correct?"

Kennen nodded to confirm.

"We are prepared to grant you that request."

Kennen's heart raced excitement at the prospect of returning to his home. "Are you sure you won't need me? I do not wish to burden you with my absence." Kennen said.

"It is true that it will be harder without you here Kennen. But we must have your interests in mind if we are to fight for the best interests of everyone." Shen said.

Kennen smiled. "When will I be expected to the return?" He asked.

"This journey may take some time. Matters such as these cannot be contingent on temporal restrictions. While we do not expect it to take more than a year, the path to the self is different for all of us." A councilwoman answered.

Kennen nodded and bowed. "I cannot thank you enough for this opportunity." He said earnestly, stepping back next to the other two members of the Triumvirate.

Akali placed a hand on the yordle's shoulder and squeezed to show her support. Kennen looked up to her and flashed a small smile to show his acknowledgement and appreciation.

"There is another thing we would like to address."

The three ninjas straightened out to listen once more.

"As you know, pirate attacks in the Guardian's sea have been increasing over the past few years, of which most originate from Bilgewater. Given the ties between Bilgewater and Noxus, this creates a problem. It is absolutely crucial that we stay vigilant." A councilman explained with a sigh. "Unfortunately, that is the only way for Kennen to get to Bandle City.

The young yordle was about speak, but Shen beat him to it.

"We cannot let the enemy know you're gone Kennen, otherwise it might give them an incentive to attack. "Shen said. "As a result, you will go without a sound. Do not wear your ninja garb and take as little as possible. We cannot afford for anyone to recognize you as you're leaving." He explained.

"Understood." Kennen said, nodding in confirmation.

"Now then, are there any objections?"

Shen, Akali, and Kennen held still.

"Then we suggest you leave under the cover of darkness. Vessels on this island do not go straight to Bandle City, so you will have to go to the Ionian mainland first. There are not many vessels that travel at night; the few that do are not for commercial purposes." A councilman explained.

Kennen nodded. "I will adjust accordingly." He responded.

"Take the remainder of this time to prepare anything you wish to bring. We wish you the best of luck young one."

The Triumvirate bowed simultaneously.

With that, the meeting was over. The three ninjas walked out of the council room and headed up to their residence to start their day.

"Don't wait on me." Kennen said, breaking the silence. "I need some time to myself." He explained.

Akali glanced at Shen. "Don't take too long Kennen." She said.

"I won't." Kennen responded.

With that said, Kennen continued towards his residence. The complex, in which the Triumvirate lived, consisted of four main parts including private rooms for each ninja and a meeting place. Consistent with Kinkou philosophy, the rooms were very open with translucent walls. Kennen didn't mind, in fact he liked this way. He loved how the sounds of nature put him to sleep at night and when the warm sunlight wake him up to, then, be greeted by the sight of flourishing flora.

The ninja yordle slid a door open and walked into his room with a smile forming on his face. Kennen could barely hold it in; he was finally going home. Kennen wondered how much it had changed.

_"Would anyone even recognize me?"_ Kennen mused.

He slipped his garb off and sat in a meditating position, feeling the rays from the sun warm his fur. Kennen slowly relaxed his muscles and progressively closed his eyes. Thoughts of his original home quickly surfaced. Memories of Bandle City were foggy for the most part, since he traveled to Ionia at a very young age, but certain memories were as clear as the present moment. The few that were clear reminded him of a happy and active life. Although Kennen appreciated the silent and disciplined lifestyle of the Kinkou, he would be lying if he claimed not to miss the spontaneous interactions with other yordles. Knowing he didn't an abundance of time before morning training, Kennen opened his eyes.

The ninja yordle started preparing for his upcoming journey. As far as clothes, Kennen chose to bring a tight white vest, featuring a hood, with grey pants. The ninja yordle prepared a small pouch with shuriken and stored a few kunais in his vest. Kennen knew he would need some coins, but, seeing as he was only bringing the bare essentials, he couldn't carry that many, which may present a problem later on. He laid all his things out and put his ninja garb on.

Time passed by relatively quickly. There were no missions for him to complete, so, other than typical duties around the monastery and training, the day had been uneventful for Kennen. It was now time for their evening training session. During training, Kennen felt incredibly motivated; more so than he had in a long time. Even after hours of conditioning and sparring, he felt an endless amount of energy coursing through him along with the laser sharp focus that it took to control it. Just as they were about to start another sparring session, the three ninjas were called down to the council once more.

"You were very impressive today Kennen." Akali complimented as they walked to the council room.

Kennen pulled down the hood on his garb and gave Akali a wide smile. "Thanks Akali. Your performance was impressive as well." Kennen responded.

"How do you feel?" Akali asked.

Kennen pondered her words for a few seconds. "Relieved and excited." Kennen responded. "I can barely contain myself Akali." His ears twitched as the wind blew and a few sparks started to appear around him.

"I can tell." Akali said with a chuckle.

When they arrived at the council room, the doors were already open and the elders stood outside waiting for them.

"I trust that you have made adequate preparations." A councilman inquired.

"Yes. Everything is ready." Kennen responded.

"As a last piece of advice, be careful not to get too attached Kennen. There is great risk in this journey as you are visiting your home. Contact with old acquaintances and places can elicit emotions, which could potentially cloud your judgement. Do not let any attachments compromise your ability to return to your duties here." A councilman said.

"I understand. That will not be a problem." Kennen explained.

The elders nodded in acknowledgement.

"We wish you the best of luck on your journey young one." A councilwoman said with a warm smile.

Kennen bowed. "You have given me an invaluable opportunity." The ninja yordle said, still bowing. "I don't know how I can thank you enough."

"You have served the Kinkou faithfully for years. That in itself is more than enough." A councilman said.

"We await your return, Heart of the Tempest."

The elders bowed.

Kennen turned around and began walking up to his residence once more. The yordle looked at the sky and noted that it was completely dark out. Knowing that his time was limited, he sprinted in to an empty bathhouse and quickly cleaned himself. He, then, went to his room and put on in his new attire. Taking his weapons and coins, Kennen stood at his door, ready to go. He wasn't sure how to feel. On one hand, he was excited to go back home, but, on the other hand, he would be leaving his current one for an indefinite amount of time. Kennen took a breath and slid his door open only to find Akali and Shen waiting outside. Kennen stepped out and faced them.

"Kennen, Shen and I wanted to wish you luck on your journey." Akali said, smiling. "And we wanted to walk you to the entrance."

Shen nodded in confirmation.

"Yes, I would like that." Kennen responded.

The three ninjas started walking to the entrance to the Kinkou. Aside from the sound of their footsteps, the walk was silent. Kennen was busy with his own thoughts, while Akali and Shen didn't feel the need to say anything as of yet. In what seemed like an instant, they had reached the entrance. Kennen turned to face his two companions.

"Thank you." The yordle started. "For all that you have done for me." Kennen said. smiling.

Akali knelt down. "Be safe Kennen. We will be waiting for you to return." She said.

"Kennen, stay vigilant and do not forget your training. It will never betray you." Shen said.

The young yordle suddenly felt a bit emotional, which was an anomaly considering Kinkou philosophy emphasized self-control. Kennen rushed forward and caught Akali in an embrace, which she briefly returned. Even though Kennen knew Shen was not one for emotional displays, he still wanted to communicate his gratitude. He looked up to Shen and stuck out his hand. Quicker than Kennen expected, Shen grabbed his hand and shook it, completing the amicable gesture.

Akali and Shen bowed.

Kennen stepped away from them and returned the gesture. "Goodbye." The ninja yordle said.

Using the speed he's been gifted with, Kennen turned around and ran towards the docks. It wasn't hard to find the cargo ships and even less so to sneak into them. He found the workers joking, laughing, and chatting amongst themselves. They were all too busy to notice a ninja yordle hiding in between some crates.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! Comments are always welcome and appreciated :D.**


	2. Missing

**Missing**

It was about midday in Bandle City. The sun was at its highest and the city was buzzing with yordles. It was around this time that Teemo loved to walk around the city square. The way yordle architecture blended with nature gave the city a very comfortable feeling along with a serene atmosphere. There was no constant hustling, instead yordles walked around at their own pace wearing seemingly inextinguishable smiles; occasionally they stop to talk to other yordles. There were virtually no arguments and, in the rare occasion that some conflict broke out, other spectating yordles are, usually, proactive in resolving the problem, so there was a seldom need for scouts to be used as a policing force. These days scouts were used to secure borders and gathering information, although other sectors of the military ran routine exercises to make sure they're ready for anything that might threaten the city. Preserving the peace he's found in this city was what motivated Teemo to keep doing what he does every day.

"Captain Teemo!" Someone called out, waving.

Teemo didn't specifically know this person, but smiled and waved back regardless. This is how it was in Bandle City. In general, yordles were especially appreciative of the city's military forces. As a result, it wasn't rare for Teemo, the captain of the Scouts of the Mothership, to be recognized and encouraged regularly. This was, yet, another reason that motivated Teemo to protect his people and his city.

"Keep up the good work captain!" Another yordle said, giving Teemo a friendly pat on the shoulder.

"Will do!" Teemo responded.

Sometimes, he didn't receive verbal recognition, but most yordles, at least, flashed him a smile and that was good enough for him.

"Teemo!" A familiar voice called out.

The scout captain already knew who it was; her voice was quite distinctive. Teemo turned his head to see a purple yordle running towards him.

"Hey, wait up!" Tristana shouted.

Teemo complied and stopped to wait for his friend. "Hey Trist." He greeted with a smile.

"Hey, are you going somewhere?" Tristana asked.

"Yeah." Teemo responded with a nod. "I'm on my way to meet with the mayor."

Tristana frowned. "For what?"

"He didn't say much." Teemo said, pensively. "All he mentioned was a special assignment."

"Really?!" Tristana said, seeming exasperated. "You've been way too busy Teemo." She said, crossing her arms.

"Yeah..." Teemo said bashfully. "Sorry Trist."

"I guess it comes with the job of being captain." Tristana said with a smirk.

"I guess it does." Teemo said, chuckling.

The purple yordle sighed. "Sometimes I wish it was like it was back at scout camp, you know?" Tristana said. "No training, missions, or responsibilities, just us exploring the city."

Teemo smiled, thinking back on those memories. "Yeah it was just you, me and -"

_"Kennen." _Teemo finished in his head.

Teemo's heart skipped a beat. Ever-since he left for Ionia, the ninja yordle has plagued Teemo's thoughts. Apart from Tristana, Kennen was his best friend. His unexpected and sudden absence took its toll on Teemo, especially at first. He remembered the months after Kennen was supposed to come back; the distress and emptiness he felt knowing it was likely that he would never see his friend again. If it wasn't for Tristana, he didn't know what he would have done. It was supposed to be a 3-month trip to Ionia, but, by the end of it, the trip turned into something else.

\- Flashback -

_Teemo was walking through the woods, following the markers he left on the trees. He was looking for a spot he found years ago, when he got lost playing in the woods. This spot became a safe haven for Teemo. It became a place where he could find peace of mind and relax to the mountains and stars. It was a private spot for him to clear his head of any muddled thoughts and, with a clear head, reflect. As he walked to his spot, Teemo saw another yordle sitting near the cliff with his feet hanging off. There was only one other yordle that knew about this spot._

_"Kennen?" Teemo called out tentatively._

_Teemo saw the yordle turn his head in his direction._

_"Oh, it's you Teemo." Kennen responded in an uncharacteristic solemn tone._

_"Yeah." He didn't know what else to say, but he could clearly tell that something was bothering Kennen._

_There was a moment of silence as the two yordles remained still, looking at one another before Kennen broke eye contact and turned back around to look at the stars. Teemo wasn't sure how to approach his friend, so he reluctantly walked towards him and took a seat next to him. For what seemed like forever, the two sat in silence admiring the view._

_"Kennen?" Teemo called, deciding to break the silence. He didn't get much of a response. "What's wrong?" He asked in a tone full of concern._

_At first, Kennen didn't respond, but after a few moments Teemo heard him sigh. "I'm going away to Ionia tomorrow." Kennen responded._

_"No Kennen. I mean why are you upset?" Teemo asked again with a more desperate tone. He hated seeing Kennen like this._

_"I'm leaving for three months." Kennen said without making eye contact._

_That left Teemo without much to say, so they sat in silence for a while. The idea of Kennen going to Ionia didn't bother him that much, but three months was a long time. He didn't like the idea of not being able to see his friend for that long._

_"I told them I didn't want to go." Kennen said with a sniffle. "But they said it'd be a good idea if I go out and see the world to explore other options other than being a scout." The blue-eyed yordle explained._

_Teemo looked over to his friend and saw tears pooling in his eyes. Instinctively, Teemo reached over and pulled him close, resting Kennen's head on his shoulder. He let Kennen sob a little, while he soothingly stroked his back._

_"I don't want to go Teemo." Kennen said. "I want to stay here with you guys." _

_Teemo didn't say anything. He wanted to tell him to not go. He wanted to tell him how much he'll miss him. But seeing Kennen in such a broken state killed him inside. Teemo has never been able to handle seeing Kennen upset; it just made him feel broken. Teemo knew he had to make the best out of the situation._

_"Maybe it won't be so bad." Teemo said. He felt Kennen lift his head off of his shoulder. "I've heard Ionia is amazing and really pretty. You'll probably find a lot places to look at the stars and the mountains too. You'll have a lot of fun over there." _

_Kennen lifted his head up to look at Teemo. "You really think so?"_

_"I know so." Teemo responded with the best smile he could muster._

_Kennen, then, did something unexpected. He raised a hand and put it on Teemo's cheek, sliding his thumb right below Teemo's eye. It was almost overwhelming for Teemo, given how close in proximity they already were._

_"Teemo, why are you crying?" Kennen asked with a tone laced with concern. _

_Teemo hadn't realized he had been crying until he brought a hand to his cheek and felt the dampness. He immediately broke eye contact and shook off Kennen's hand. "Nothing." Teemo quickly answered. "It doesn't matter." He added. Teemo felt two arms wrap around his chest and recoiled at first, but let it happen._

_"Yes it does!" Kennen responded harshly. "I don't like it when you cry." _

_Teemo didn't respond. A feeling of relief washed over Teemo and he reciprocated Kennen's embrace. The two yordles sat there and enjoyed each other's company in a comfortable silence as they shed a few tears._

_"It's okay." Teemo said, turning his head to look at Kennen, who seemed mildly confused. "It's okay, because you're gonna come back." He finished with a smile. "It might not be for a while, but we'll get to see each other again right?"_

_Kennen smiled for the first time that night. "Yeah." He whispered. "Yeah we will. I promise I'll come back."_

_"You promise?" Teemo asked with a playful smile._

_Teemo wasn't sure if he was just too caught up in the moment, but Kennen's expression when he turned to look at him left the young yordle speechless. His eyes had a soft glow to them and a confident smile graced his face. He's never seen Kennen seem so sure of himself.  
_

_"I promise." _

\- Flashback End -

That was the last time Teemo saw Kennen. For a while, Kennen would send letters to Teemo and Tristana, telling them about Ionia and they would send letters back telling him about stuff that was happening in Bandle City. After a little over a month, the letters stopped coming back. A few weeks before Kennen was supposed to come back, the news about Kennen joining the Kinkou Order reached Teemo. Despite the anguish he felt, Teemo was happy Kennen found a purpose he can work towards and, with that in mind, he went on to do the same. Although he knew it was unlikely, Teemo hoped to see Kennen again.

"Teemo?" Tristana called, waving her hand in front of his face. "Are you okay?

"Yeah." Teemo answered dryly, snapping out of his trance. "Sorry, I guess I got distracted."

"You were thinking about him, weren't you?" Tristana asked.

Teemo shouldn't be surprised, Tristana knew him well enough to understand what was going through his head. "Yeah." He answered bashfully. "It's been so long, since he left and I still..." Teemo trailed off.

Tristana placed a hand on the scout's shoulder. "It's okay to still miss him Teemo." She consoled. "I think about him once in a while too."

Teemo chuckled. "I wonder if we'll ever see him again."

"You never know what to expect with him Teemo." Tristana said with a small laugh.

Teemo's gaze fell on the sun and his eyes widened briefly in realization. "I gotta get going Trist or I'm going be late." Teemo said.

"Yeah I need to go train." Tristana slapped her friend's back. "Good luck with your mission." She said, running off.

After waving his friend goodbye, Teemo started making his way to the mayor's office. After some fast walking, he made it to the Bandle City Hall with a few minutes to spare. The area encompassing the city hall was stunning. Two rows and columns of a few administrative buildings coalescing around elegant courtyard with a fountain in the middle. Teemo stood in front of the city hall complex and took a few moments to clear his head and steel his resolve before going in. Once inside, he quickly made his way to mayor's office and knocked on the double doors. One of the doors opened to reveal Dennison Jadefellow, the mayor of Bandle city.

"Good afternoon Mayor Jadefellow." Teemo greeted.

"Just who I wanted to see. Captain Teemo, please come in." Mayor Jadefellow said, motioning the scout captain in.

Teemo stepped through the door.

"I'll try to keep this meeting short." Mayor Jadefellow began, closing the door and making his way to his desk. "As you know, the Guardian Sea has become quite perilous due to an increasing amount of pirate attacks."

The scout captain nodded in affirmation.

"As of late, we've been having some trouble at the docks." Mayor Jadefellow explained in a serious tone. "We are receiving reports of mass theft, but no perpetrators have been identified let alone caught."

Teemo's widened briefly. "Do we have any leads?" The scout asked.

"Well some of our scouts have reported to have spotted the perpetrators getting away, but it isn't something beyond a glance." Mayor Jadefellow answered. "They suspect it might be a pirate that snuck through a commercial vessel that might have been previously compromised."

"I see..." Teemo said with a pensive expression.

"Although it's not much to go on, I have the latest report on the situation." Mayor Jadefellow said, pushing up the folder on his desk

Teemo walked up and took the folder. "Can we confirm it is only one?" He asked, opening the folder and skimming through the content.

The mayor smiled. "Therein lies the problem." He said. "We're not sure if this is one thief or a whole organization, which is why I want you to go and investigate. Can you do that captain?"

"Of course, sir." Teemo answered, closing the folder. "When do I leave?"

"Considering we want to get this solved as fast as possible, I recommend leaving some time this evening and begin investigating tomorrow. I'll notify the scouts immediately." Mayor Jadefellow answered.

"Yes sir." Teemo said with a salute.

"I knew I could count on you captain." The mayor said, smiling. "Dismissed."

With that, Teemo left Bandle City Hall with plenty on his mind. Usually, he would have a couple of days or even a week to prepare for a mission requiring him to move outside of Bandle City for an indefinite amount of time. The fact that this case was the exception piques Teemo's curiosity. Given the nature of the problem, maybe it shouldn't too surprising. Since yordles are very social and live in tight communities, theft was rare in the yordle lands but not unheard of. Getting away with it consistently, however, was something Teemo had never dealt with or read about. Given the unique nature of this case, Teemo understood the mayor's urgency. Not being one to procrastinate, the scout captain decided to head home and start preparing.

Teemo's home was situated on a small hill just outside the main part of Bandle City, since the scout had a particular affinity for the surrounding flora. Once in the comfort of his own home, Teemo started checking through his inventory. Since Teemo often went on solo missions, his pack was always ready with most of the supplies he needed for any mission. All he needed to do was check on his poison reserves, which were full since he recently made a trip to the Kumungu jungles, and pack some extra clothing, in case he needed to stay for an extended period of time.

_"Where is it?" _The scout wondered, rummaging through his bag.

In the midst of packing, Teemo noticed he didn't have his journal in the bag. The scout captain usually used his journal to reliably gather all the information he acquired over the period of a mission, as opposed to relying on memory. Considering he mainly used it when working on reports, Teemo knew he left it in his office. With the exception of the journal, everything was set and ready to go. With a sigh and a chuckle, the scout captain went out into the city once more.

On his way to the city hall, Teemo took note of the sun's position. He still had some time to burn and he knew just where to spend it. As he walked around the courtyard, Teemo spotted Tristana talking with some other yordles.

"Teemo!" She called out, leaving the group of yordles.

"Hey Trist." Teemo greeted, turning to face her.

"So, how'd it go with Mayor Jadefellow?" She asked.

"Apparently yordles have been getting robbed at the docks and we don't have any leads, so he wants me to go investigate." Teemo explained.

"I see..." Tristana responded with a pensive expression. "So when are you leaving?" Tristana asked.

"He wants me to leave some time this evening and start working tomorrow." Teemo responded.

"Perfect." Tristana said with a giddy smirk. "That means you have time to go for a drink." The purple yordle explained with a wink.

This caught Teemo off guard. "Wait Trist-"

"Aww come on Teemo! We haven't done anything in a while." Tristana said with a knowing smile.

She got him there; the two of them haven't been spending time together like they used to and it was usually because he was busy.

"Besides, you can't tell me you haven't missed the taste of honey mead." Tristana said.

Teemo looked at her with deadpan expression. "Honey mead?"

"Yep." Tristana responded, crossing her arms. "You know old Rusk makes the best stuff."

She did it again; Honey mead was Teemo's favorite drink and he hadn't had it in a while. As Teemo mulled it over, Tristana took the initiative and grabbed him by the arm.

"Off we go!" She declared, dragging him along.

Teemo couldn't help but smile. "I guess I can have one or two." Teemo relented.

"That's the spirit." She said, chuckling.

"But I have to go get something from my office first." Teemo said.

Tristana looked at him with a somewhat suspicious expression. "All right." She said, letting go of his arm. "But it better be fast."

Teemo chuckled at his friend's antics and nodded.

True to his word, it didn't take long for the scout to find his journal and put it in his pack. Teemo quickly made his way out of his office and met Tristana in front of the city hall.

"Was that fast enough for you?" Teemo joked.

"Meh." She said, shrugging her shoulders. "Could have been faster." Tristana responded with a smirk.

Teemo rolled his eyes and the Tristana laughed as they started walking. The place they going to wasn't too far from the city hall; it was just a few blocks away. As both yordles walked around another block, they saw a modest yet elegant building with a sign that read "The Old Pub."

"Here it is." Tristana mumbled, casually walking into the establishment.

The familiar smell of alcohol instantly hit Teemo's nose. The scout captain wasn't much of a drinker, but his colleagues would often choose celebrate in places like this, so he was used to it by now.

Tristana walked up the bar style counter. "Rusk!" She called.

An older yordle appeared from below the counter with a glass cup in one hand and a piece of cloth in the other. "Why if it isn't Tristana." He said with a smile, wiping the cup in his hand.

"Who else would it be?" Tristana responded with a smirk.

Rusk chuckled, shifting his attention to the yordle next to her. "Well this is a surprise."

"It's good to see you again Captain Rusk." Teemo greeted.

Rusk sighed, putting the cup down. "That's what I should be calling you." He said, smiling. "You know you don't have to call me that anymore Teemo. I'm retired after all." Rusk said.

Teemo scratched the back of his neck. "I'm not sure if I'll ever stop calling you that sir." Teemo responded with an apologetic smile.

"Wouldn't expect anything less from you captain." Rusk said.

The three yordles shared a laugh.

"I'm sure you two didn't just come here to see visit a retired captain." Rusk said with a smirk. He took the cup he was previously cleaning, crouched down, and put the cup he was cleaning away. "So, what can I get you two?" The former captain asked, standing back up.

"A cup honey mead for me." Teemo responded.

"Make that two." Tristana said.

Rusk bent down once more before setting down two glass cups in front of the yordles. "Good choice." He said, turning around to get a bottle of honey mead. Rusk popped open the bottle and poured the honey mead into their respective cups. "Let me know if you need anything else."

"Will do." Teemo responded.

"Thanks Rusk." Tristana said.

Rusk smiled and walked away from the pair.

Teemo took a sip from his cup of honey mead and was immediately tantalized by the flavor. He loved how sweet it tasted and the crisp edge it featured made it all the more refreshing; he could never get enough of it. Before the scout knew it, his cup was empty.

"I can see you enjoyed your drink." Tristana commented, giggling.

Teemo chuckled at her remark. "It really has been too long since I've had one of these." Teemo responded, putting his cup down.

"Good thing you have a great friend like me." Tristana said with a smirk.

"You're right about that." Teemo responded, smiling.

There was a moment of silence.

"So how have you been?" Tristana asked. "Being the captain of the Scouts of the Mothership has probably kept you really busy."

"It's a lot of work, but, as long as I can protect the yordles of Bandle, it's all worth it." Teemo responded.

"I've never heard of a yordle being a captain at our age." Tristana commented. "You're probably one of the youngest captains in scout history."

"Well, maybe." Teemo said bashful smile. "What about you? How is it being part of the Yordle Gunners?"

Tristana chugged the last of her drink. "It's mostly patrolling and training these days." She responded. "I guess I can't complain though, since I do get a lot of solo missions." Tristana put her cup down and relaxed in her chair. "But if anything threatens Bandle, we'll definitely be ready." Tristana said with determination in her voice.

Teemo nodded in agreement.

"So how about another round?" Rusk said, walking towards the pair of yordles.

"Yes please!" Tristana responded, looking over at Teemo.

"I can go for one more." Teemo said.

Rusk poured another round of honey mead into their cups.

"So about this mission of yours..." Tristana started. "You mentioned there were some thieves on the docks?"

Teemo nodded.

"If it's just a couple of common thieves, wouldn't our scouts be able to handle it?" Tristana asked.

Teemo drank some of his honey mead. "Apparently this one is good at getting away. They've caught a few glimpses, but that's the best they could muster." Teemo explained.

"Aren't all scouts trained for tracking?" Tristana questioned.

"Yes we are." Teemo responded. "That's what makes this case so important. What else could this thief do if they can evade our scouts?" He explained.

The yordle gunner sighed. "You're practically going in there blind." She commented.

"Such is the job of a captain." Rusk said, interjecting in their conversation. "To lead when and where it looks bleak."

Teemo nodded. "I'll just have to do my best Trist."

"Jadefellow should've sent me with you." Tristana said with a smirk. "We'd show them not to mess with yordles."

Teemo chuckled. "I don't think they would try anything with you there Trist."

Tristana shot him a questioning look.

"They'd be too scared knowing that a yordle gunner is after them." The scout captain explained, drinking more of his honey mead.

"As they should be." The yordle gunner responded indignantly.

Her response elicited a smile from Teemo and a hearty laugh from Rusk.

"Even after all these years, you haven't changed a day." Rusk commented.

Tristana trained her gaze on the retired captain.

"But that's what makes you a yordle gunner." Rusk said. "The fearlessness to throw yourself into the fray without hesitation is an essential trait for any front-line unit." He explained.

"Nice save." Tristana said with a cheeky smile.

"Teemo, on the other hand, is more methodical, so he takes the time to properly assess the situation and prepare accordingly." Rusk explained. "Such are the makings of a scout."

Teemo smiled, looking down at his nearly empty glass cup.

"I remember you two made quite the team." The retired captain commented.

"Our team was the best. No doubt about it." Tristana said, finishing her drink.

Something clicked in the scout's head. He quickly looked at the windows and noticed the light outside was slightly dimmer than before. Realizing he only had a few hours before the sunset, Teemo gulped down what little honey mead was left in his cup and got up from his seat.

"Leaving already?" Rusk inquired.

"Yeah I have some stuff to do before I leave." Teemo responded, reaching into his pocket and taking out some coins.

Rusk raised his hand. "Don't worry about it." The former captain said. "Good luck on your mission Captain Teemo."

Teemo smiled in return and shifted his gaze to Tristana.

"Just make it back in one piece." The yordle gunner said with a smirk.

Teemo chuckled. "Will do." He responded as headed to the door.

"Don't be a stranger now captain." Rusk said. "Come back anytime."

"Yes sir." Teemo responded. "I'll make sure to come back after I'm done with this mission."

"I'll hold you to that." Tristana said.

Teemo turned his head to look over his shoulder. "I know you will." The scout captain responded with a grin. "I'll see you when I get back." He said, opening the door and stepping out.

Teemo proceeded to make his way out of the city and into the woods. Every time he could, Teemo would go off into the woods and enjoy the sunset. He loved to see the landscape bathed in the reddish glow of the sunlight. He loved to watch the skies slowly darken until the stars graced him with their presence. He loved experiencing the unique radiance of the valley under the moonlight. This wasn't an easy view find, but Teemo had a specific spot, where he could privately enjoy this kind of experience.

After trekking through the woods for a bit, Teemo found the place he was looking for. It was a small clearing featuring a cliff-side view of a valley below. He slowly walked up to the edge of the cliff and took in the beautiful sight of the mountains in the twilight. He took in a deep breath of the warm air and slowly exhaled, feeling his every muscle relax as he let the air out of his lungs. Teemo, then, sat down with his feet dangling off of the cliff.

_"This is where I saw him for the last time." _Teemo shook his head. There were those thoughts again. Even after so many years apart, Teemo couldn't manage to get the other yordle out of his head. _"He never even said goodbye." _Teemo chuckled sadly at that last thought. He's never been able to understand why it bothered him so much. Other yordles have come in and out of Teemo's life and, yet, there was something about Kennen's absence that made him feel as if something was out of place. Granted Kennen was one of Teemo's closest friends, the scout thought he would be able to simply move on after a while. Teemo sighed as he, once again, ruminated on his friend. This was the only place, where he could freely have these kinds of thoughts without incurring stress. After a while, Teemo settled into a relaxing state of mind.

Time passed and, before he knew it, the sun had set. It was time to start heading out. Teemo got on his feet and took one last look at the stars above. With a smile on his face, the scout turned around and made his way out of the woods.

* * *

**So...What did you think? I appreciate any input that you can give, whether it'd be criticisms or compliments.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	3. Nostalgia on the Sea

**Nostalgia on the Sea**

A lone ship could be seen traversing the waters of the Guardian's Sea. The sky was had a light blue hue as the sun approached the horizon. The water was unusually calm; so calm, in fact, that most of the ripples in the ocean seemed to originate from the ship itself as it moved along. This ship was a private carrier vessel. It carried valuables that the merchants aboard were hoping to sell in the Yordle Lands. Most of the crew was still asleep, unlike a certain blue-eyed yordle that managed to sneak on board.

Kennen was sitting cross-legged on the roof of the bridge, basking in the beauty of the morning dawn. He looked up and observed the stars slowly fade away as the light from the sun illuminated the sky. Kennen had begun to feel a bit restless about his impending arrival. From previous conversations Kennen had overheard, it should not be long before they would reach the main docks of the Yordle Lands, but he had yet to spot any landmass resembling Valoran. Thoughts of his former homeland started to flood his head.

_"Will anyone remember me?"_ He mused. Members of the Kinkou Order lived in perpetual isolation from outside influences, although the organization did keep track of significant events in other areas other than Ionia. As a result, Kennen had no idea if anyone, other than his two closest friends, noticed his absence. A smile formed on Kennen's face as his thoughts shifted to Teemo and Tristana.

_"I wonder how they're doing."_ Kennen hadn't been able to keep up with their whereabouts, since the Kinkou Order discouraged external social attachments. All he had were the memories of all the adventures they shared. The ninja yordle chuckled as he reminisced about his early childhood.

\- Flashback -

_Kennen was crouched down beside a tree, attempting to conceal himself using the tree and the surrounding bushes as cover. As part of a camp exercise, all the yordles were playing hide and seek in the woods and Teemo happened to be the one seeking. Usually games like these were easy for him, since no one could catch up to him if they found him, but Teemo was the exception. Kennen didn't understand how, but Teemo had this uncanny ability to catch him. No other yordle had ever caught him in this game, yet Teemo had not failed once._

_Kennen shook his head and focused on his surroundings. Typically, he wouldn't_ care _about stepping on a twig or making other noises, but, against Teemo, he would have to take extra precautions. Kennen carefully peeked his head around the tree to check if anyone was near. When he found that the coast was clear, Kennen took a breath and let himself have a moment of relief. Not long after, the blue-eyed yordle heard a faint sound in the bush behind him. Before he could even entertain what it was, two arms wrapped themselves around his chest._

_"Gotcha!" Teemo said, pulling Kennen into the bush._

_Kennen quickly lost his balance and fell on top of Teemo._

_"I told you I'd get you again." Teemo said, grinning._

_"Wha...But how?!" Kennen shouted, squirming against Teemo's grip. "Let me go!"_

_Teemo laughed a bit, but eventually complied._

_Kennen immediately shot up and glared at his friend. "How did you know?"_

_Teemo took his time standing up and dusted himself off. "How did I know what?" He asked innocently._

_"Don't play dumb Teemo." Kennen accused. "How did you know where I was?"_

_"I guess that's for me to know and for you to never find out." Teemo responded with a cheeky grin._

_Kennen groaned in frustration._

_"Aww come on, it isn't that bad." Teemo said, trying to console his friend. "Now we get to be on the same team and catch everyone else."_

_Kennen couldn't help but grin at the thought. "I guess, but I still don't get how you catch me every time." He responded, shooting Teemo a suspicious look._

_"It's a secret." Teemo responded, chuckling. "Now come on. We gotta catch everyone else."_

_Kennen sighed. "Fine." He said, reluctantly dropping the subject._

_The game ended shortly after. Hide and seek never lasted long after Teemo caught Kennen. No yordle could hide well enough to avoid Teemo and, when they were found, none of them could outrun Kennen._

_"It's not fair." Tristana complained with a pout._

_"What's not fair Trist?" Teemo asked._

_Kennen playfully rolled his eyes._

_"I can never beat either of you." Tristana said._

_"I guess you just have to hide better." Teemo responded._

_Tristana shot Teemo a glare. "It doesn't matter where I hide, you always find me."_

_"Then you just have to run faster." Kennen said with a cheeky smirk._

_Tristana trained her gaze on Kennen. "I would have if he didn't have the fastest yordle as a sidekick." She retorted._

_Kennen walked over to Teemo and threw his arm around his shoulder. "Then I guess you're out of luck Trist." He said with a wide smile. "We're just unbeatable, right Teemo?"_

_Teemo turned his head to look at Kennen with a playful smile. "Yep no one can beat us."_

_The two yordles snickered to themselves. Their little moment didn't last long though, since, a moment later, the two yordles felt something hard make contact with their heads, causing them to yelp out in pain._

_"Trist!" Kennen whined, clutching his head in pain. "What was that for?!"_

_"For being annoying." Tristana responded with a satisfied smirk._

_"Ah!" Teemo cried out, rubbing his head. "You hit really hard Trist." Teemo said with a chuckle._

_"Thanks." She responded in a chipper tone._

_"All right." The captain called out. "Everyone please gather around."_

_The young yordles quickly surrounded Rusk._

_"As you probably know, the camp is almost over." Rusk announced._

_Murmurs quickly spread through the group of young yordles as they conversed among themselves._ _Some of them were relieved to get a break, while others were a bit disappointed._

_Rusk cleared his throat. "Even though this camp mainly focused on teaching young yordles about scouts, but we understand that some of you may be more suited for other roles." He explained. "So today, I will be giving you a personal evaluation based on what the instructors and I have observed throughout the camp."_

_This put Kennen a bit on edge; unlike most of his peers, Kennen had no real sense of where he was going to end up. Despite all of the encouragement from Teemo and Tristana, his skillset was unusual and, as a result, it didn't neatly fit into a category. Teemo and Tristana, on the other hand, seemed to be a perfect match for their respective desired branches of the yordle military forces. Teemo excelled in the areas of stealth and intelligence, making him an ideal candidate for the scouts. Tristana's physical strength, courage, and loyalty practically made her a yordle gunner by default. And then, there was him._

_"Kennen." A gruff voice called._

_The blue-eyed yordle snapped out of his trance to find a piece of paper in front of his face. He looked up at Rusk with a confused expression._

_"It's your evaluation." The captain said. "Take it."_

_"Oh." Kennen said. He looked at the piece of paper with a conflicted expression before reluctantly grabbing it. "Thanks."_

_When he heard the captain walk away from him, Kennen flipped the paper and tentatively started reading through it. The paper contained three sections: strengths, weaknesses, and recommendations._

_Kennen started from the top with the first section, which outlines his strengths. His main strengths were his speed and perceptual acuity. A small smile formed on the yordle's face as he read on. The evaluation went on to describe how perceptual acuity was crucial for accurate decision making in high pressure situations and that, combined with his speed, it could lead to successful missions. Kennen couldn't help but feel a bit proud of himself as he finished reading through his strengths._

_Kennen's smile quickly faded when he noticed that the next section was about his weaknesses. He took a breath to calm his nerves and continued reading. His main weakness was impatience. No matter what his strengths were, impatience can lead to reckless behavior, which could compromise the mission. It also makes it hard to work as a team when a member might take action without regard for a pre-planned strategy that requires coordination to execute. Kennen couldn't deny that there were times where he would get tired of waiting and act impulsively. He felt a bit disappointed, but the evaluation did mention that impatience was common among young yordles and it was easily amendable with some discipline._

_After a bit of reflection, Kennen moved on to the last section, which contained role recommendations. It was no surprise to Kennen when he saw a list of three recommendations to three unique branches of the military. The first recommendation was an intelligence gathering role as a scout. The second one consisted of a spot on a front line yordle gunner unit. The third one suggested joining a special forces unit as a part of the Bandle guards. The young yordle let out a small sigh as he finished reading through his evaluation. As expected, the evaluation didn't really help him make any progress._

_"So, what'd you get Ken?" Teemo asked._

_Kennen snapped out of his trance and looked at his friend. "Nothing really." He responded, feeling a bit dejected._

_"Cheer up Kennen." Teemo said, putting hand on his friend's shoulder. "It can't be that bad." He said with a sympathetic smile._

_Kennen took a breath and relaxed a bit. "I guess."_

_"Let's see here." Tristana said, quickly snatching away Kennen's evaluation form._

_"Hey!" Kennen complained, shooting Tristana an annoyed look. "Give it back Trist!" He demanded, reaching for the piece of paper._

_"No way." She retorted, keeping it out of Kennen's reach. "I wanna see what you got."_

_"Give it back!"_

_"Why are you so scared to show us?"_

_"I'm not scared!"_

_Teemo decided to interfere before the situation escalated any further. He quickly got in between both of them and pushed them away from each other. "Trist, can you please give it back to him?" Teemo said._

_Tristana's eyes widened in surprise. "Why?" She asked. "I just want to see what he got and I'm pretty sure you do too!"_

_"That doesn't mean we can just take his stuff Trist." Teemo responded. "You know it doesn't feel very good when someone tries to force to show them something you're a little sensitive about." He explained._

_Tristana thought about it for a moment, before relenting. "I guess you're right." Tristana responded, turning to Kennen. "I just don't get why you don't want to show us Kennen. There's no way the captain or the other scouts said bad stuff about you." She said, walking up to him._

_Kennen found some comfort in her words._

_"Here." Tristana said, extending her hand with his evaluation. "Sorry for taking it." She quickly mumbled._

_"Thanks Trist." Kennen said, grabbing the piece of paper. Even though Trist and him got into little scuffles often, it was pretty rare for her to apologize. The fact that she just did meant she understood how he felt and that made him smile a little bit._

_"You don't have to show us if you don't want to Kennen, but I'm kinda curious about it too." Teemo said with a bashful smile. "I can show you mine first if you want." He offered._

_"Yeah you can see mine too." Tristana added._

_Kennen looked at both of them for a moment and then chuckled. "It's okay, I already know where they put both of you." He said. This immediately drew a confused expression from his two friends. "I mean it's pretty obvious. Teemo probably got recommended for scouts and Tristana got recommended for the yordle gunners." He explained._

_"Well, you got me." Tristana responded._

_Teemo smiled and nodded in agreement._

_Kennen looked at Teemo and extended his hand. "Here." He said, handing Teemo his evaluation._

_"Are you sure?" Teemo asked, mildly surprised._

_"Yeah, I don't mind of you guys look at it." Kennen responded._

_"Hey wait." Tristana said, crossing her arms. "How come you let Teemo have it but not me?"_

_Kennen didn't have an immediate answer to her question, but his mischievous mind quickly came up with one. "I don't remember you asking me for it." Kennen responded with a grin._

_"So, all I had to do was ask?" Tristana asked, sarcastically._

_"Yeah." Kennen answered. "If only you were nice like Teemo." He teased._

_Tristana glared at the blue-eyed yordle. "You are-"_

_"Wow Kennen, you got recommended for everything." Teemo commented._

_This caught Tristana's attention. "Let me see." She said, walking over to Teemo._

_"It's not a good thing." Kennen responded._

_"What do you mean it's not a good thing?" Tristana said. "It means the captain thinks you can do any of these things."_

_"No, he just doesn't know where to put me." Kennen responded in a somewhat dejected tone. "I guess I wouldn't know where to put myself either."_

_"How about being a scout?" Teemo suggested._

_"I don't think I would make a good scout." Kennen responded with a serious tone._

_Teemo's usual happy expression soured a bit. As he was about to reply, Tristana spoke up._

_"You could always be a yordle gunner." Tristana said. "Who knows? We might even end up in the same unit."_

_The blue-eyed yordle sighed. "I just don't know if that's what I want." Kennen responded solemnly._

_"Kennen." Teemo called with a serious tone._

_Kennen immediately looked at Teemo. The sudden shift from Teemo's usual jovial tone startled him._

_"Do you really think you wouldn't be a good scout?" Teemo asked with concern._

_Kennen thought about the question for a moment and chuckled. "Nah there's no way I could be a good scout, especially compared to you." Kennen responded, putting his hands behind his head._

_Teemo frowned. "Kennen I-"_

_"Attention!" Rusk shouted._

_Every yordle immediately straightened up and turned to the captain._

_Rusk raised his hand, signaling the campers to relax. "Since this is the last week of camp, I thought it would be a good idea to bring some cadets and show you a thing or two." The captain explained. "Who here can tell me what a cadet is?" Rusk asked._

_A lot of yordles raised their hands, eager to answer the question, but Rusk noticed that a certain yordle, who is usually very active in group discussions, didn't have a hand up._

_"Teemo." The captain called. "Can you tell me what a cadet is?"_

_Teemo quickly snapped out of his stupor. "Yes sir." He answered. "Cadets are a rank below scouts. Even though they have all the general skills of scouts, they still need more training to become scouts."_

_"Very good." Rusk commented. He, then, moved off to the side revealing a trio of yordles._

_The three yordles were markedly older than any of the campers, but much younger than the captain. The trio consisted of two male yordles and a female yordle._

_"These three cadets volunteered to come to camp and show you a few things, so please give them your attention."_

_As instructed, everyone's attention was now on the trio of cadets._

_The female yordle stepped ahead of the group. "Hi everyone!" She greeted with a giddy wave and bubbly voice. The female yordle had smooth light blue skin and a seemingly permanent smile on her face. "My name is Lily and these are my two teammates." She said, motioning to them._

_"Captain Rusk told us about some promising yordles in this camp." One of the male yordles said, eyeing the campers. "I look forward to seeing who those are." He said with a smirk. The confident yordle sported a rugged build with deep dark brown fur except for a yellow patch around his left eye. His deep voice, complemented by his appearance, allowed him to have a strong presence. "The name's Pith by the way."_

_"Hello." The other male yordle greeted with a soft smile. "My name is Kite. It's nice to meet all of you." He said, in a soft voice. This yordle featured a much slimmer build and had light yellow fur. Unlike the other two, he was very calm and had a relatively weak presence._

_"As Captain Rusk might have told you, we're a team of cadets well on our way to become scouts." Lily explained with a proud smile. "But we used to be campers, just like you guys, so when the captain asked for some volunteers, we couldn't turn down the chance to see what the next generation has in store. Any questions?"_

_As soon those last words left her mouth, a flurry of hands went up. Just about the every yordle attending the camp had a question for the trio. Before they could start answering questions, Rusk quickly stepped in._

_"I'm afraid that's gonna have to wait for another time." Rusk announced, much to the disappointment of some. "There will be plenty of time for questions, since they will be here throughout the entire week." Rusk added. "For now, we'll be moving on to another drill, so pair up into teams of three."_

_Everyone immediately scrambled to form teams. Naturally, Kennen wanted to team with his two friends, but when he turned to ask Teemo there were already a couple of teams asking for him. Kennen sighed inwardly. Teemo was well liked by just about every yordle and it was no secret that he was one of the best up and coming scouts, so he was high in demand whenever there were team drills. Teemo also had a hard time turning other yordles down, so sometimes he would end up on another team. Kennen turned to see if Tristana wanted to make a team, but found her already talking to another group of yordles. Seeing that he was on his own, Kennen began to walk away only to be stopped by a hand on his shoulder._

_"Wait Ken." Teemo said._

_Kennen turned around to face his friend._

_"Do you want to make a team?" Teemo asked with a hopeful smile._

_Kennen shot him a questioning look. "Aren't you already on a team Teemo?" Kennen asked._

_Teemo shook his head in response. "No."_

_Kennen was a bit surprised to hear that answer. "But what about all those other yordles you were talking to?"_

_"Well, I wanted to team with you and Trist, so I told them I'd join their team some other time." He explained, scratching the back of his head._

_Kennen stared at him in disbelief._

_"Wait..." Teemo's smile suddenly disappeared. "Am I too late?" He asked with slight desperation in his voice. "Do you already have a team?"_

_"No, it's nothing like that." Kennen answered, much to Teemo's relief. "I'm just surprised you told them no. " He said with a cheeky smile. "I've never seen you say no to anyone before."_

_Teemo crossed his arms and shot him an annoyed look. "I can say no if I want to."_

_Kennen chuckled. "If you say so."_

_"So, do you want to team or not?"_

_"I'll think about it."_

_Teemo glared at his friend before taking a hard jab at his side._

_"Ah!" Kennen yelped. "What was that for?" Although the jab hadn't been very painful, it definitely took Kennen by surprise._

_"For being mean." Teemo answered, trying to fake an angry expression._

_Kennen looked at Teemo and immediately burst out laughing._

_"What's so funny?" Teemo demanded. "I'm mad at you."_

_Kennen rolled his eyes. "Yeah sure you are." He said, grabbing Teemo by the wrist. "Now come on. Let's go find Trist."_

_Try as hard as he might, Teemo couldn't continue to hold up an angry appearance and, as he was being dragged by Kennen, his pursed lips turned into a smile. It didn't take long for them to spot Tristana, since she was leaning against a tree away from everyone else._

_"About time you guys got here." She said._

_"I thought you'd be on a team already." Kennen commented._

_Tristana shrugged. "Nah, it's more fun with you guys." She responded._

_Teemo and Kennen smiled._

_"I wonder what drill it is this time." Teemo said._

_"Doesn't matter." Kennen asserted. "With us three, there's no way we can lose." He said, full of confidence._

_Tristana pushed herself off of the tree and stretched. "Couldn't have said it better myself."_ _She said with a smirk_.

_"I trust you've all had enough time form teams." Rusk said, looking around for any objections. "Good, now on to the drill."_

_Every yordle looked to Rusk in anticipation._

_Rusk cleared his throat. "The drill is simple. At least one member of your team must be able to grab this flag." Rusk said, walking over to a flag sporting a Bandle city insignia and lifting it out of its peg. "However, there will be three defenders. If a defender tags a member of your team, then that member of your team is considered to be captured and can longer participate in the drill, unless another teammate tags him again." The captain explained._

_"Captain Rusk." A yordle called out, grabbing his attention. "If our objective is to grab the flag, then who are the defenders?"_

_"I'm glad you asked." Rusk responded with a knowing smile. "Today, your opponents are these three cadets." Rusk announced. "Since they're going to be helping you throughout the week, this will let them get know you better."_

_Whispers filled the small crowd of yordles as teams started conversing among themselves. Some were talking about whether having the cadets defend was fair, while others were already formulating strategies._

_"In the interest of time, all teams will begin at the same time." Rusk said. "You can use anything you can find around you and hide anywhere, but, to succeed, you need to secure the flag in 20 minutes." He explained._

_Kennen took a look at the clearing they were in. It was completely flat with soft grass covering the ground. The area looked like it was a semi-circle and it was completely surrounded by trees and bushes. Kennen noticed that the flag was not at the center, in fact the area just behind the flag was covered in the local flora._

_"As some of may have realized, it is possible to collaborate with other teams." Rusk said, noticing several teams intermingling._

_As soon as those words came out of the captain's mouth, most of the talking died down. Some yordles held a surprised look, as if the captain had discovered their secret._

_"Remember that only the team that secures the flag passes." Rusk said. "This your chance to make a good impression, don't let it go to waste."_

_Kennen watched as the atmosphere completely changed. The yordles around him started dispersing and grouping up into their teams. Soon enough it was no longer one crowd of young yordles, rather a collective of distinct units. Seeing the trend, Kennen turned to his own team._

_"Any ideas Teemo?" Kennen asked._

_"Not yet, but I'm working on it." Teemo responded, holding a pensive expression._

_"Trist?" Kennen called._

_Tristana shook her head. "I'm just gonna follow Teemo's lead on this one."_

_Kennen nodded in response._

_"All right, we'll start on my mark." Rusk announced._

_"Good luck to you all!" Lily said, waving enthusiastically._

_"Do your best." Kite said in a flat tone._

_"Don't disappoint us too much." Pith said with a smirk._

_"Begin!"_

_Every group immediately scattered. Most teams ran into the woods, but two teams noticed that the flag was unguarded and felt opportunistic enough to make a dash for it. Needless to say, the two teams were quickly subdued._

_"Sometimes the best trap is the objective itself." Kennen heard one of them say as he ran into the woods._

_"Where are we going?" Kennen asked._

_"Just follow me." Teemo responded._

_Kennen nodded and followed suit. Most teams had opted to stay close to the flag, but it seems Teemo had other ideas. The team didn't very deep into the woods, rather they ran along the edge of the open field. When Teemo finally stopped, Kennen noticed they very far away compared to other teams._

_"Teemo why are we so far away?" Kennen asked, slightly confused as to what his friend was thinking._

_Teemo took a moment to catch his breath. "Most teams are gonna stick close to the flag, because they want to be as close as possible when they go for it plus some teams might be looking to take advantage of other teams so they have to close to the flag." He explained. "But we don't need to do any of that."_

_"But isn't it a good idea to be closer to the flag?" Tristana asked._

_"Usually yes, but that's exactly what they're expecting." Teemo responded in a serious tone. "If we try to get the flag by simple distractions like everyone else is trying to do, we'll never get it. They're older and have more experience than us, so our only choice is to surprise them with something." He explained with a pensive expression._

_"But how are we gonna do that?" Kennen asked, looking at this friend._

_Teemo turned to look at him. "With you of course." He responded with a smirk._

_Kennen tilted his head in confusion. "Me?" The energetic yordle asked, pointing to himself. "What can I do?"_

_"You'll see." Teemo answered with a knowing smile. "But for now, we should just watch to see how other teams go about it."_

_"You already have a plan don't you?" Tristana asked with a smirk._

_"I'm still working on it, but yeah I think I have an idea." Teemo said, returning the smirk._

_The trio watched as team after team tried to get the flag, but none could get remotely close. The three cadets were in a simple triangular formation around the flag and, curiously enough, the biggest gap in the formation was right behind the flag, which was the most vulnerable spot considering the woods were just a few meters away. Despite the seemingly simple formation and glaring weakness, even the collaboration of several teams couldn't break through. After 5 minutes of observing other teams attempting to get the flag, Kennen started getting restless. He started pacing back and forth to alleviate his impatience._

_"Sorry to make you wait Kennen." Teemo said with an apologetic smile. "I know how much you hate waiting." He said, turning around to look at both of his teammates._

_Kennen chuckled bashfully in return._

_"So, you got a plan?" Tristana asked._

_"Yep, but it's a little complicated." Teemo said, scratching the back of his head._

_"So, you don't think we can do it?" Kennen sharply inquired._

_Teemo shook his head and looked at his blue-eyed friend. "If I was with anyone else, then probably not." He answered. "But I think this team can do it."_

_Kennen and Tristana smirked._

_"That's what I like to hear!" Tristana said with an excited smile._

_"Let's hear it Teemo." Kennen said, lightly jumping from side to side._

_Teemo chuckled at their sudden enthusiasm and proceeded to fill them in on the plan. It took a while for Teemo to fully explain the plan and then discuss any concerns, but, by the end of it, everyone seemed to be on the same page._

_"Five minutes left!" Rusk shouted._

_"Okay, are you guys ready?" Teemo asked, stretching a bit._

_"Sure am!" Tristana answered, eager to get started._

_"I guess so." Kennen said, feeling a bit disappointed about his role. "But why do I have to be the one to do this? I want to be up there with you guys."_

_Teemo stopped stretching and turned to his friend. "I thought you might feel that way." Teemo said, chuckling. "Sorry Ken, but..." He paused and scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "I think you're the only yordle that can get that flag." He said earnestly._

_Kennen wasn't sure why, but, after listening to Teemo, he didn't feel so disappointed anymore. In fact, he felt invigorated. "I get it." Kennen said, stretching his legs a bit. "We're definitely getting that flag." The blue-eyed yordle said with absolute confidence._

_Tristana and Teemo nodded in agreement._

_"We don't have a lot of time left, so let's get going Trist." Teemo said, walking away._

_"Right behind you." Tristana said, following him. "We're counting on you Kennen. Don't mess it up." She said with a playful smirk._

_Kennen smiled._ _"Don't worry about me. That flag is as good as ours."_

_Usually, Kennen would not be happy to take on these types of roles that required him to be patient and let others do the work. He liked to be in the action and to do things on his own terms. However, this time it was different. His two closest friends were depending on him to pull through and they had no doubt he would. Having their votes of confidence meant a lot to Kennen and the energetic yordle was determined not to let them down._

_Kennen climbed up a nearby tree and perched himself on a branch to get a better view of the situation. A few minutes had passed and Kennen could already feel himself grow a bit impatient. He then saw Tristana burst out of a bush and run at Pith._

_"You really think you're gonna get through me by trying to run past me?" Pith taunted in his usual haughty tone._

_"Pfft. You never know until you try!" Tristana retorted. "Besides how hard could it be getting past someone like you."_

_"Oh, is that a challenge?" Pith inquired with a smirk._

_"Just you and me big guy." Tristana said with a smirk of her own._

_The plan was simple in concept, but complex in execution. It all started with Tristana. The purple yordle was quite the provocateur and she liked head on challenges, so she was supposed to get Pith to focus on her. Using this to his advantage, Teemo would then try to sneak through from behind the flag, since their formation relied on Pith and Kite to cover that blind spot._

_"Pith you shouldn't get distracted so easily." Kite said calmly as he suddenly moved towards the flag._

_Pith looked back at Kite. "What do you mean? I'm covering this area."_

_"This is what I mean." Kite said, thrusting out his arm and grabbing Teemo by the uniform. "He almost sneaked past us."_

_"So close." Teemo said, looking at the flag._

_"Close indeed." Kite commented. "By far the closest anyone's gotten."_

_"When did he get there?" Pith asked, confused as to how the young yordle sneaked past him._

_Tristana decided to try to quickly run past him, while he was distracted._

_"Did you think I forgot about you?" Pith said, quickly catching Tristana by the arm._

_Tristana didn't think he'd be that quick to react. "Tch." She said, shaking off his grip and crossing her arms in discontent.  
_

_"Did we get them all?" Lily asked, turning around to face them._

_Kite shook his head. "There is still one left."_

_"Why doesn't he just come out already?" Pith commented. "There's nothing he can do alone."_

_Teemo's plans never ceased to amaze Kennen. Teemo knew that Tristana and him would probably get caught, but he also knew that, when they did, it would give Kennen the best opportunity. Given that he was the only yordle left, the cadets would most likely let their guard down, with the potential exception of Kite. Teemo noticed that Lily was the cadet in charge of covering directly in front of the flag, which encompassed most of the field. This was probably due to her observational skills, but it was also the area where they least expect us to come from, since launching a surprise attack would be very hard due to the distance. That's why Kite and Pith were positioned on both sides of the flag. Even though both of the male cadets were covering less area than Lily, it was where most teams would attempt to attack from, since the distance from the woods to the flag was a lot shorter. The only chance they had of getting that flag was to hit them with something unexpected from somewhere unexpected and that's where Kennen comes in. Teemo knew they would never expect Kennen to be able to cover that amount of distance so fast. That's why Kennen was the key to the whole plan._

_Seeing Lily let her guard down and turn around, Kennen climbed down from the tree and dashed towards the flag. Like the wind, he slipped through their formation and, before any of the cadets could react, Kennen was already at the flag._

_"Good job Kennen!" Teemo shouted with a smile._

_Tristana whooped in excitement. "We won!" She shouted. "Nice one Ken!" Tristana said with a thumbs up._

_Kennen waved the flag around with a gleeful smile and went to regroup with his team._

_"The plan worked just like you said it would Teemo." Kennen said._

_Teemo scratched the back of his head. "Yeah I guess it did." He responded bashfully. "But it was all thanks to you and Tristana."_

_Tristana groaned. "There you again being modest." She said with a smirk._

_Kennen chuckled. "You need to give yourself more credit Teemo." He responded. "There's no way we could have won without you."_

_Tristana nodded in agreement._

_"I guess, but this wouldn't have worked with anyone else but you guys." Teemo said._

_"You got that right." Tristana said with a cheeky smile._

_The team of yordles shared a laugh._

_"Hey Kennen." Teemo called._

_Kennen turned to face his friend and was immediately caught in his embrace._

_"I think you'd make a great scout." Teemo whispered, breaking the hug shortly after._

_Kennen's eyes slightly widened in mild shock as he stared at Teemo. Despite his usual confident and energetic appearance, Kennen did have some insecurities that weighed on him, such as his future in yordle society. He could keep them at bay most of the time, but, on rare occasions, his insecurities would get to him and his mood would turn a bit sour. Teemo and Tristana never failed to notice and always took the time to make him feel better. Teemo, in particular, had a knack to always say the right thing at the right time. Kennen's expression progressively softened and he smiled at Teemo._

_"Well done." Rusk said, clapping briefly as he walked up to the three yordles._

_"Thank you sir!" Teemo said with a salute._

_"Got anything to say cadets?" Rusk asked, looking at the group behind him._

_"Well done." Kite said. "That was certainly unexpected."_

_"Wow you were so fast!" Lily commented, looking at Kennen. "I looked away for a second and you were already past me."_

_"Thanks!" Kennen said, flashing her a smile._

_Pith walked past his two teammates and stood in front of the group with an intimidating demeanor. "What are your names?" He demanded._

_"I'm Teemo." The young yordle answered, walking up to Pith. "Nice to meet you sir!" He said, with a salute._

_"You can call me Tristana." The smirking purple yordle said, walking up with Teemo._

_Kennen walked right in between his two friends. "Kennen." He said. "My name is Kennen."_

\- Flashback end -

"We made it!"

The celebratory shout woke Kennen from reminiscent state and he slowly opened his eyes to see what the what the commotion was about. He was immediately greeted by a long-awaited sight of the Yordle Lands. Old memories and emotions attempted to flood his mind, but he had to get ready to leave before he was noticed. He took a deep breath and focused on the task at hand. The vessel he was on was currently in the process of docking, so silently jumped off of the roof and observed as a few crew members deployed a ramp to the docks. Knowing that it would take them some time to get the merchandise off of the vessel, Kennen took this chance and used the ramp to tumble his way out. As soon as his feet hit the wooden planks of the docks, the ninja yordle quickly scanned the area to see if anyone noticed him. After making sure no one saw him, Kennen began walking out of the docks and into the local town.

As he set foot into the Yordle Lands, Kennen felt the familiar comfort of his former home. Before he could indulge in his own nostalgia, a sudden scream caught his attention.

"Help! Thief!"

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter!**


	4. Reacquaintance

**Reacquaintance**

"Help! Thief!"

The plea for help immediately caught Kennen's attention and the ninja yordle started scanning the area to find the source of the scream. A few moments later, he saw a figure make a tight turn around a corner and take off running. Kennen couldn't tell if the figure was a yordle or not, but he saw several yordles come around the corner and give chase. He noted that three of the yordles chasing the alleged thief were wearing scout uniforms, although one of them wore a particularly decorated one. Kennen planned to keep a low profile at first, since he wanted time to roam and explore the land, but he would have to make an exception here. The Kinkou taught him to always help those in need and enforce balance. The ninja yordle could not simply walk away from this situation.

"My bag! He took my bag!"

Kennen noticed that the thief's body was somewhat transparent and immediately recognized what was happening. He quickly took out a shuriken from his vest and threw it. The shuriken flew through the air, danced through nearby pedestrians, and pinned the bag to a nearby wall. The sudden resistance from the bag being pinned down caused the thief to trip and fall to the ground. Kennen saw the thief quickly scramble back up on his feet and reach for the shuriken in an attempt to dislodge it. A smirk graced the yordle ninja's face.

"Aghhh!" The thief screamed out, as an electric current ran through his body.

The thief fell to the floor, seemingly unconscious. All the commotion caught the attention of nearby bystanders and they slowly started gathering around the scene. The scouts immediately sprang into action and secured the area declaring it to be under investigation. Bystanders were instructed to either move along or stay a safe distance away from the scene. The three scouts weren't sure about what happened, so they opted for a cautious approach and examined the scene from afar at first. After a few moments, the scouts started walking up to the thief's body.

Kennen was glad he could help catch the thief, but now he faced another dilemma. He needed to come up with an inconspicuous way to recover his shuriken. The problem was that the whole situation attracted a lot of attention from bystanders and it all happened in a completely open area. Kennen sighed; he had no choice, but to gamble. With sparks flying around him, Kennen ran towards the thief's body with blinding speed, slipping through the crowd and passing by the three scouts. As soon as he had the shuriken in his hand, Kennen let out some electricity, effectively covering himself in it. This maneuver created a flash of light, which Kennen used as a diversion to then make his escape through the roof of a nearby building.

The ninja yordle needed to find somewhere he could hide for a while. There was no doubt in his mind that scouts would be searching for him and the longer he kept running around public areas the more likely it would be for them to spot him. Luckily for Kennen, this was the Yordle Lands, so he was surrounded by forested areas. Wasting no time, Kennen darted into the trees. After putting a reasonable amount of distance between him and the city, the ninja yordle settled down and sat on a tree branch. Kennen finally had some time to relax and think for a bit.

"_I definitely did not expect to be welcomed back like that._" Kennen thought with a small chuckle.

After all this time, he was finally back. Kennen leaned against the tree trunk and took in his surroundings. Even though he hadn't had a lot of time to really look at the town before the thief appeared, the ninja yordle did notice some significant changes. There were a lot more buildings and the overall infrastructure was far more sophisticated than it was back when he used to live here. Despite its modernization, the Yordle Lands had not lost its seamless integration of nature. As he closed his eyes, Kennen felt a peaceful comfort come over him. His previous stress was slowly eroding as a euphoric feeling started to build up. Living under the strict teachings of the Kinkou, excitement was a foreign feeling to Kennen at this point. He felt a warm tingly sensation spread throughout his body. It made him want to get up and run around, just like when he was younger. Although Kennen appreciated the peaceful and disciplined lifestyle of the Kinkou, he couldn't deny that he missed this kind of raw freedom.

The subtle sound of a branch snapping caught Kennen's attention and immediately put him on alert. Using the tree trunk as cover, Kennen stood up took a peek to identify the source of the sound. He was surprised to see one of the scouts from before looking up at him. Kennen recognized this scout in particular, because he was wearing a different uniform than the others.

"Hey! You up there!" The scout called. "Can you come down for a minute?"

Kennen was debating whether to comply or make a run for it. He definitely did not want to get in any trouble.

"I don't mean to bother you, but I just have some questions about what happened back there." The scout said with a friendly smile. "My name is Teemo and I'm the Captain of the Scouts of the Mothership."

Kennen instantly recognized the name. "Teemo? Is that you?" He said in disbelief. With his previous apprehensiveness gone, Kennen immediately jumped down from the tree branch and ran towards his childhood friend.

In one swift action, Teemo had his blowgun out and pointed at Kennen. The ninja yordle immediately stopped dead in his tracks.

"Woah there! Sorry, but could I ask you to not make any sudden movements like that?" Teemo asked with an apologetic smile. "Even though you did help us back there, I'm still not sure whether you're a threat or not." He said with an almost unnoticeable edge to his voice.

"I guess it really has been too long." Kennen said cryptically.

Teemo shot him a confused look.

Kennen pulled back his hood and pulled down his mask. "Does this help?" Kennen asked with a small smile.

Teemo put down his blow gun and stared at Kennen with an unreadable expression.

Kennen's smile faded. "Do you really not recognize me?" He said, feeling a bit disappointed. He took tentative step forward, but quickly withdrew it. "I guess I can't blame you." Kennen said with a sad chuckle. "It's me-" Before the ninja yordle could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by Teemo's sudden embrace.

"Of course I recognize you." Teemo whispered with a little chuckle. "I just can't believe that you're here right now." The scout said, tightening the hug. "It's really good to see you again Kennen."

"It's good to see you too Teemo." Kennen said, reciprocating the embrace.

Kennen started to feel something strange; a peculiar warm feeling was slowly spreading throughout his chest and abdominal area. The feeling was overwhelming to the point where the ninja yordle felt a bit suffocated. He felt his usually sharp mind grow foggy and his keen sense of awareness grow narrower. These types of situations would usually put the ninja yordle on high alert, since a ninja's keen senses are at the very foundation of their discipline. Ninjas spend years honing and sharpening their senses, so that when a situation calls for action they will be able to make the best decision as fast as possible. A ninja is most vulnerable when their senses are compromised and yet Kennen didn't seem to mind being lost in this euphoric haze. All Kennen knew was that he was really happy to see Teemo again.

The two yordles remained in each other's arms for the next few moments, before Teemo abruptly broke the embrace. The sudden interruption broke Kennen out of his daze and he shot Teemo a confused look.

Teemo smiled bashfully. "Sorry about that." He said, scratching the back of his head. "I guess I'm just really happy to see you."

Kennen chuckled. "I see you're still the same Teemo." He said with a mischievous smile.

Teemo crossed his arms and faced Kennen with an annoyed expression. "What's that supposed to mean?"

The ninja yordle put his hands up in mock defense. "Nothing bad. You just have a tendency to apologize even when it's not necessary." He said.

Teemo looked unconvinced. "How does that make me the same as before?" He questioned.

"The Teemo I knew..." The ninja yordle paused to collect his thoughts. "Cared a lot of about others and would help them, even if he had to suffer some consequences." Kennen said with a small smile.

Teemo chuckled. "I guess that part hasn't changed." He said with a smile.

"He was also too trusting of strangers." Kennen said cheekily.

"What do you mean by that?" Teemo questioned with a confused expression. "I just threatened you with a weapon."

"Teemo..." Kennen called with a knowing smile. "We both know that your blowgun wasn't loaded." He said, smirking.

Teemo looked away and sighed. "I just had a good feeling about you, since you helped us out back there." He explained with a small pout. "I guess you're still the same Kennen too."

"How so?" Kennen questioned, genuinely curious to hear his friend's answer.

"Well, the Kennen I knew was the fastest yordle I've ever seen." Teemo explained. "And he had a knack for reading other yordles.

Kennen smiled at his friend. "Maybe not much has changed after all."

Teemo smiled cheekily. "But he also had a tendency of getting into trouble."

Kennen rolled his eyes. "I don't do that anymore."

"Oh yeah? Then what was that back there?" Teemo questioned.

Kennen raised an eyebrow. "I thought you said, I helped you." The ninja yordle said.

"That's true, you did help us catch the thief." Teemo affirmed. "But why did you run away afterwards if all you did was help?" The scout questioned.

Kennen's eyes widened briefly. He scratched his head and chuckled. "I guess I didn't want to get caught." He answered.

"You thought you'd be in trouble didn't you?" Teemo asked with a knowing smile. "Old habits die hard Kennen."

"You're as smart as ever I see." Kennen said with a chuckle.

"And you're as observant as ever." Teemo responded. "Was it that obvious that my blowgun wasn't loaded?"

Kennen shrugged his shoulders. "It was to me, but I've been training for years to spot these kinds of details." He responded in a pragmatic tone.

"I guess that makes sense." Teemo said. The scout then turned around and looked up to the sky. "I should head back soon. If I'm gone for too long, they'll send a search party after me."

Kennen realized that this meant they would have to part ways. He wanted to spend more time with his friend, but the ninja yordle understood that duty comes first. "I understand." Kennen said with a stoic tone. "It was good seeing you again Teemo." He said, as he turned to leave. As Kennen started to walk away, he felt something grab his arm.

"Come with me." Teemo offered.

Kennen turned his head to look at Teemo with a somewhat surprised expression.

Teemo quickly let go of Kennen's arm and took a step back. "I-I mean, that's if you want to. I don't know why you came back, so you might be busy with some other business." The scout said, looking down at the ground. "But if you have time, I'd like to show you around." Teemo said, looking at Kennen with a determined expression.

It was an enticing proposition to Kennen; he would like nothing more than to explore the Yordle Lands and catch up with his childhood friend. However, there was something bothering him. "I don't want to get in the way of your work Teemo." The ninja yordle responded in a solemn tone.

Teemo smiled. "Funny you should say that, because you basically did my job for me." The scout explained.

Kennen looked at Teemo with a confused expression.

"The reason I came here was to catch that thief." Teemo explained. "There had been reports of mass theft at the docks, but none of the scouts stationed here could ever catch the thieves."

"I can see why they would have a hard time catching them." Kennen said. "That thief was using a Noxian cloak to hide himself. If you don't catch them fast enough, they become invisible." He explained.

"So that's why they seemed to disappear." Teemo surmised. "Are you familiar with this technology?"

"I know a little bit about it, since I've had to deal with it before." Kennen responded.

Teemo smiled widely. "Then all the more reason for you to come with me!" The scout said joyously. "We would really appreciate any information you have!" Teemo explained.

Kennen still felt uncertain.

"I understand if you have somewhere to be." Teemo said, dropping his smile. "I just thought it would be nice to catch up."

"It's actually kind of the opposite." Kennen said, earning a look of confusion from the scout. "I don't have anywhere to go and I'm not really sure where to go." Kennen explained.

Teemo raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Then why did you come back?" He asked.

Kennen's expression turned cold. He wasn't sure how to answer Teemo's question, because he wasn't sure of it himself.

"Sorry! I didn't mean for that to sound like a bad thing." Teemo quickly said in an attempt to clarify his previous question.

Seeing his friend's reaction, Kennen's expression softened and he chuckled. "I know you didn't Teemo." The ninja yordle responded. "It's a long story, but, in short, I just felt a need to come back here. I'd tell you more, but I don't want to delay you any longer."

"You can tell me on the way to Bandle then." Teemo said with a friendly smile.

Kennen frowned. "Teemo, I don't have a place to stay and I don't have a lot of coins with me. I only brought what I could fit in my vest," He explained with a deadpan tone. "I do not wish to be a burden to you."

Teemo dropped his smile and approached his friend. "Kennen." The scout called out with a serious tone.

Kennen immediately looked at the scout captain.

"Just because we haven't seen each other in years, doesn't mean I don't consider you a friend anymore." Teemo explained with a serious demeanor. "As far as I'm concerned, you're as much of a friend now as you were back then. So, believe me when I say that..." The scout paused and put a hand on Kennen's shoulder. "You could never be a burden to me."

Kennen stood there and reflected on his friend's words. Teemo still had that uncanny ability to make his worries disappear. Kennen reluctantly smiled and sighed. "I guess I have no choice now huh?" He joked.

Teemo smiled in return. "Let's get going. I have a few things to do back at base before we go back to Bandle." The scout said.

With a nod of affirmation from Kennen, the two yordles started to make their way out of the woods. They walked in silence for a few minutes, until Kennen abruptly broke it.

"How did you know where I was?" Kennen asked.

Teemo looked at Kennen in mild confusion. "What do you mean Kennen?"

"After I knocked the thief out, I did my best to cause confusion and get away. I put a considerable amount of distance between your group and I, yet you still found me." Kennen explained.

Teemo took a moment to think. "You did confuse everyone, that's for sure. I'm still not sure what exactly happened back there." Teemo responded with a friendly smile. "After that whole thing happened, my team arrested the thief and started questioning any witnesses to see if we could figure out what happened. Although that didn't really work, since all everyone saw was a flash of light." The scout explained.

"Then how did you track me?" The ninja yordle questioned.

Teemo scratched the back of his head with a sheepish smile. "It was kind of a hunch."

Kennen looked at Teemo suspiciously. "A hunch?"

"There's no way I can properly track you given how fast you are, but, I know this place like the back of my hand." Teemo explained. "Considering how many witnesses were present, I knew the best way to make a silent get away would through the roof. This section of the woods happened to be the closest to where we were and, conveniently enough, there was a clear path to the woods if you took the roof."

Once again, Teemo's intelligence and awareness never ceased to surprise Kennen. "Okay, I guess that explains how you knew I was around here, but I was pretty deep in here. How did you know where to look?" Kennen asked.

Teemo let out a nostalgic chuckle. "I'm not sure I can explain it, but I kind of just knew." The scout said with a bashful smile.

Kennen held his suspicious gaze for a few more moments and then rolled his eyes. "Things really haven't changed that much." Kennen commented, redirecting his gaze forward.

"I'm glad." Teemo responded.

Kennen briefly glanced at his friend. "Me too." He said with a small smile.

Both yordles fell into a comfortable silence, each lost in their respective thoughts. After an indiscernible amount of time, the two yordles stepped out of the trees and into the town.

"This way." Teemo said, motioning Kennen to follow him.

As they walked into the town, Kennen noticed other yordles greeting and waving at Teemo. Kennen knew enough of the region to know that Teemo was known as a hero to most yordles and he was one of the champions from this region. He wondered if the other champions received the same treatment.

"Is it always like this?" Kennen asked.

Teemo glanced back at Kennen. "Yeah most of the time." Teemo responded. "It's probably similar for you in Ionia right?"

"I'm not really sure." Kennen answered.

The ninja yordle's answer quickly prompted a look of slight confusion from the scout.

"I don't usually go out into Ionia in such a casual fashion." Kennen explained. "When we do venture out, it's usually on an assignment and, even then, we are instructed not to linger around too long."

Teemo frowned a little. "I see."

"We receive recognition from the Ionian council, but the Kinkou is very strict when it comes to interactions outside of our clients." Kennen said. "Do all champions get recognized like this?" He asked, changing the topic.

"Pretty much, although Trist says I hog all the attention." Teemo answered with a chuckle. "I guess this is their way of thanking us for working to protect the Yordle Lands." The scout explained.

A small silence followed as Kennen thought on the scout's words.

"They would probably recognize you too, but..." Teemo paused to giggle.

Kennen looked at his friend strangely. "What?" He questioned.

"It's kind of hard to tell that it's you without your purple uniform." Teemo explained.

"Do yordles here know about me?" He asked, genuinely curious.

"Of course." Teemo answered. "A lot of yordles like to keep up with yordle champions even if they don't currently live in the Yordle Lands."

Kennen remained silent.

"Besides, who wouldn't want to know more about the first and only ninja yordle?" Teemo said, flashing Kennen a smile.

Kennen chuckled at the scout's words. The Kinkou was pretty closed off from most of the world, so the ninja yordle wondered how much other yordles knew about him and what they thought of his occupation as a ninja. Before he could think on it too much longer, Teemo interrupted his thoughts.

"We're here.' The scout announced, looking up at a building in front of him.

Kennen looked at the three-story building and noticed that it was markedly different than all other ones. Other than the fact that it towered over the other buildings, it had a strict rectangular shape to it. It was also adorned with light colored metal, further setting apart from other places in its vicinity. It definitely exuded an official like presence.

"You can come in with me if you want." Teemo offered. "I have a few things to do, but it shouldn't take too long."

Kennen shook his head. "I think I'll wait outside." Kennen answered. "I don't want to be a distraction to you or anything."

Teemo jokingly rolled his eyes. "You wouldn't distract me Kennen, but it's fine if you want to wait out here."

Kennen nodded.

"I'll be back soon." Teemo said, turning around and entering the building.

After Teemo was gone, Kennen shifted his attention to his surroundings. The last time he set foot here was 9 years ago and it all felt so familiar. The towns and cities may have been expanded and modernized, but certain things never change. From the peculiar shapes of the houses to the unique way yordles integrate their infrastructure with the surrounding fauna, it was so different from Ionia and the Kinkou monastery. Even though Ionian infrastructure was built around nature, there was a clear distinction between them. In the Yordle Lands, however, everything felt connected.

Kennen noticed he didn't feel anxious anymore. Instead, he felt something warm and comfortable in its place. The ninja yordle was also experiencing some momentary bursts of giddiness. He spent years meditating to keep these types of extreme reactions under control, but it seems they were starting to resurface. The worst part was that Kennen was enjoying it. He didn't know whether it was his return to his original homeland or his reunion with one of his closest childhood friends, but he didn't feel off anymore. In fact, he felt better than ever.

Kennen wanted to see more of the town, so he looked around a good vantage point, but there were none better than the roof of the building right in front of him. With the dexterity of a ninja, Kennen started to scale the building. This wasn't a particularly hard task for Kennen; he's had climb mountains and other structures that posed a much greater challenge. With a couple of swift jumps, Kennen reached the top.

When he got on the rooftop, Kennen was promptly greeted by a warm ocean breeze. It was still early in the morning so the sun was still on the rise, giving Kennen an exceptionally clear view. The town was covered in a rosy silhouette from the sunlight, which accentuated the clear turquoise ocean in the background. It was all bordered by the unique fauna offered in the Yordle Lands, which gave the town an exotic look. It was a breathtaking view.

"Still impatient as always aren't you?"

Kennen turned around to see Teemo standing in a doorway with an amused expression. "Sorry, did I cause you any trouble?" Kennen asked, turning around to look at his friend.

"Nothing too big." Teemo answered. "All you did was almost cause the whole department to panic." The scout said nonchalantly.

"I'm really sorry Teemo I-"

Teemo chuckled. "Don't worry about it." The scout assured. "It's just not everyday you see a yordle climb this building like you did." He explained.

Kennen smiled in return. "Sorry, I just wanted to get a better view and this seemed like the best place." He explained.

"You're right about that. This is the tallest building the in town, so t's definitely the best place to be if you want to get a good view of the town." Teemo said, walking next to Kennen and looking out into the town. "It's beautiful isn't it?"

"It's amazing." Kennen responded, mesmerized by the view.

"This is what I fight to protect." The scout said, his gaze still glued to the scene in front of him.

Although Teemo's words were a bit ambiguous, Kennen knew exactly what he meant. Teemo didn't just appreciate the aesthetic value of the view in front of him; he knew it represented something much deeper. The feeling of peace and comfort this scene provided to all those who lay their eyes upon it represented the culmination of the efforts from past and present yordles to build this community. Much like the natural beauty of the Yordle Lands, its peaceful condition relied on balance. To preserve the peace and happiness, one must maintain the underlying balance. That's what Teemo wanted to protect.

The two yordles fell silent as they enjoyed the view. After a few moments, Kennen took a quick glance at Teemo and was surprised to find that his eyes were open. For as long as Kennen could remember, Teemo always insisted on keeping his eyes hidden. The ninja yordle wasn't sure why Teemo was so adamant about it, but he respected his friend's choice.

As if trapped in a trance, Kennen suddenly couldn't stop staring at his friend. It's been so long since the last time Kennen saw Teemo's eyes that he almost forgot what they looked like. Teemo's eyes were predominantly light brown with faint green traces, but sometimes they would change color. Even though Kennen has only seen them a handful of times, he noticed that when it was bright outside his eyes would adopt a hazel color as opposed to the usual light brown.

"Is something wrong Kennen?" Teemo asked, shifting his attention to him.

At hearing Teemo's voice, Kennen blinked a few times and snapped out of his trance like state. "Sorry, I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable." Kennen said, apologetically.

Teemo smiled. "Don't worry about it." Teemo assured. "So, what's on your mind?"

"Nothing much." Kennen answered. "I just can't remember the last time I saw you like this."

Teemo turned his head to look at Kennen with a confused expression. "Oh." The scout said, realizing his eyes were open. "Sorry about that. Guess I got a little too comfortable." Teemo said, closing his eyes.

"I don't think you did anything wrong Teemo, so there's no need to apologize." Kennen said. "I'm not sure I've ever asked you about this, but why do you keep your eyes closed?" Kennen asked with earnest curiosity.

Teemo tensed up at the sudden question.

"Sorry, I didn't realize this was a sensitive subject. I won't ask about it again." Kennen said with a brief bow.

"It's okay." Teemo responded, relaxing a bit. "If you really want to know why I don't like to show them off all the time, I can tell you about it later. I still got something to do before we head out." The scout explained.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't feel comfortable about talking about it." Kennen responded.

"I know I don't have to, but..." Teemo paused and opened his eyes. "I don't think I would mind talking about it if it's with you." The scout said with a friendly smile.

Something about the scout's words struck Kennen. The ninja yordle suddenly felt a jolt in his chest and a feeling of determination overcame him. He felt as if Teemo just entrusted him with something important and he was determined not to let him down.

Teemo closed his eyes and averted his gaze. "S-Sorry I didn't mean for that to sound weird or anything." He said with a bashful expression.

Kennen smiled and put a hand on the scout's shoulder. "I don't think it was weird." The ninja yordle said earnestly. "I think it's normal to trust your friends with things you're not comfortable with."

Teemo stared at Kennen for a moment and then chuckled. The scout let his hand rest on his friend's shoulder for brief moment before he started walking towards the door that lead back into the base. "I have to finish writing up a report." Teemo said, as he got to the door. "It shouldn't take much longer and then we can start heading to Bandle."

Kennen nodded in response and took on a more serious expression. "Teemo, I'm sorry about the disruption I caused earlier." The ninja yordle said with a respectful bow. "I'm not sure what came over me. I'm usually more disciplined than this." He explained.

Teemo smiled. "As far as I can tell, that was just you being yourself. I remember you doing stuff like this all the time." The scout said with a soft chuckle.

Teemo's words immediately reminded Kennen of his previous meeting with the Kinkou elders. They mentioned how his earlier life in Bandle City was still an irreplaceable part of him. and it was something he had to come to terms with in order to achieve true balance within himself. He wondered if that had something with his lack of control as of late. It almost felt as if he was regressing into his younger self.

"Besides, if you hadn't distracted me I wouldn't have come up here and seen that." Teemo said, pointing at the scenery they were just admiring. "I think that's worth a few minutes away from my desk."

"I guess you're right." Kennen responded with a small smile.

"It shouldn't take me too much longer to finish writing it up and then we can start heading to Bandle." Teemo explained, opening the door. "You can stay here if you want and I come get you when I'm ready to go." The scout offered.

"Yeah I'd like that." Kennen said. "Thank you Teemo." He said earnestly. Kennen wasn't only thanking Teemo for letting him stay on the roof, he was also thankful for all the things the scout was doing for him. He was glad Teemo still considered him a close friend even after years no contact.

Teemo nodded in response and closed the door behind him as he went back to work.

Kennen shifted his attention back to the town. The sun had just hit its peak, signaling that it was a about midday. The ninja yordle realized he's only been in the Yordle Lands for a few hours and yet so much had happened. In the time that he's been here Kennen has already gotten involved in a crime situation, met up with Teemo, and now has plans to return to Bandle City. On top of that, that strange feeling he's been having in Ionia was basically gone and some new feelings have risen. It was all a bit confusing to Kennen, but he was determined to understand it all and find balance within himself. Needless to say though, Kennen was glad he came back.

* * *

**Let me know what you think! Until next time :D.**


	5. Our Roots

**Our Roots**

Teemo put down the pen and slumped back into his chair with a sigh. Writing reports was definitely the least favorite part of his job. Thanks to his perfectionist nature, Teemo had a hard time writing reports, especially early on in his career. Any mistake, be it big or small, that Teemo spotted bothered him to no end so he would end up revising for hours on end and that would lead to multiple rewrites. That wasn't an issue anymore, since, over the years, he had become rather proficient at writing them, so they didn't take up much of his time. However, today's report felt like the very first one he wrote years back. It was littered with small mistakes and he was on his third rewrite already. Usually, a report like this would take him half an hour at most, but more than an hour had already elapsed. It was frustrating to him, especially since he told Kennen it wouldn't be long before they'd leave for Bandle. And yet that was the exact thing keeping him tied to this desk. The ninja yordle would not stop intruding his thoughts and he couldn't properly focus on the report in front of him.

Teemo smiled at the thought of the other yordle and signed his report to put the finishing touch on it. The scout then packed up his things and got ready for the trip back. As he was preparing to go, his thoughts shifted to Kennen again. This was all very surreal to Teemo. After all this time apart, Teemo held little hope of reuniting with his childhood friend. Sometimes he wished he could've just given up on seeing him again, but Kennen's promise to come back always lingered in his head. For better or worse, that gave Teemo a shred of hope that someday Kennen would make good on that promise. After almost a decade of no communication, here he is popping into the scout's life again. The scout had a lot of questions for his ninja yordle friend, such as the reason behind him returning and the implications that had for Ionia. Regardless of the rather bizarre conditions they had met under, Teemo couldn't wait to spend time with his childhood friend. Teemo knew he probably shouldn't make Kennen wait any longer, especially since the yordle was known to be rather impatient.

The scout snapped out of his train of thought and finished packing. He quickly made his way up the stairs and opened the door to the roof. He saw Kennen sitting very still with his legs crossed. Curious as to what his friend was up to, Teemo approached him slowly and realized he was meditating. The scout immediately clamped his mouth shut as roars of laughter threatened to come out. He didn't want to disturb Kennen's mediation, but the irony of Kennen meditating was too much for him. He would have never thought the most energetic and impatient yordle he knew would be doing something that requires so much discipline.

One of the Kennen's ears flickered. "It's okay if you want to laugh." The ninja yordle said, not moving from his position.

The sudden sound of Kennen's voice pacified his desire to laugh, so the scout coughed lightly instead. "Sorry, but I never thought I would catch you meditating," Teemo explained with a sheepish smile.

Kennen slowly opened his eyes and stood up. "Oh?" Kennen inquired with a mischievous glint. "And why is that?"

Teemo looked away from the ninja yordle and scratched the back of his neck. "It's nothing bad!" Teemo assured. "It's just meditating seems so...calm" He explained while avoiding his friend's gaze. Much to the scout's surprise, Kennen laughed.

"You're not wrong." Kennen responded. "It took me years of training to be able to do this." The ninja yordle explained. "You should have seen the first time I tried to meditate."

"I can only imagine." Teemo said with a smirk. "I don't think I've ever seen you sit still or be patient with anything. You're always itching to do something." The scout said, reminiscing on their younger days. "How'd they manage to get you to do it?"

Kennen smiled and shrugged. "Not much really." He said. "It just took a lot of force, persistence, and some rope."

Teemo tilted his head a bit. "Rope?" Teemo questioned.

Kennen chuckled. "They had to keep me still somehow." He explained. "Otherwise they would just spend the day trying to catch me." Kennen said with a mischievous glint.

Teemo rolled his eyes. "You're something else."

"That hurts Teemo." Kennen said, feigning sadness.

"Pfft. You know I hate it when you do that Ken." Teemo said with a knowing smile.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Kennen responded.

"Well, maybe this will jog your memory." Teemo said as he threw a jab at his friend's shoulder.

Using his honed reflexes, Kennen leaned forward to dodge it. "Missed me." Kennen said with a smirk.

Teemo threw a few more, but it turned out the same way every time. "You're not gonna make this easy are you?" Teemo said.

"Do I ever?" Kennen responded with a mischievous grin.

"Fine, I'll just do this then." Teemo said as he grappled Kennen from behind. "Now you can't run."

"Okay then, what are you going to do now?" Kennen asked.

"Now I'm gonna take you down so you can't dodge and-" Teemo couldn't finish what he was saying as his world suddenly turned upside down. Before the scout knew it, he was laying down on his back with a smirking Kennen bent down next to him.

"I don't think that worked out like you thought it would." The ninja yordle said cheekily as he extended a helping hand.

Teemo took his friend's hand and got up. "How did you do that?" The scout asked, dusting himself off.

"Years of training." Kennen answered.

"That must have been some serious training." Teemo commented. "You flipped me like it was nothing. What kind of training did you do?" The scout inquired.

"Secret ninja training." Kennen said with an amused expression. "Take into mind I usually trained with humans and we're a lot smaller than they are."

"That makes sense." Teemo said with a pensive expression. "That's seriously impressive Kennen. I wonder what else you can do."

Kennen couldn't help but smile at the compliment. "Oh trust me, I have a lot of things I could show you, but I want to see how you've changed too."

Teemo smiled at his friend. "I got some tricks of my own, but I think it's about time we start heading to Bandle." The scout said. "I want to get there at least by night time."

"How long does it usually take to get there?" Kennen asked.

"It really depends what way we take, but, assuming we take the quickest way without any surprises, we should be there by evening." Teemo explained.

Kennen raised an eyebrow. "Surprises?" He inquired.

"The forest can be a little tricky sometimes." Teemo answered cryptically.

Kennen knew the forests of the Yordle Lands were imbued with magic and strange things happened all the time. However, he hasn't been around for the better part of a decade so he wasn't really sure to expect.

"It's nothing to worry about though." Teemo assured, putting Kennen at ease. "Nothing bad ever happens. I actually think it's pretty fun to get lost sometimes." Teemo explained. "Since we want to get there sooner rather than later, I'll make sure to take us through the standard route, so there shouldn't be any surprises."

"Is that why they used to tell us not to go into the forest alone?" Kennen asked.

"Yep." The scout affirmed. "It's very easy to get lost in all the magic and, if you don't have a strong will, you could get lost for a while."

"Is it weird that I want to try it now?" Kennen asked with a mischievous smile.

"No, that's just you being yourself." Teemo responded cheekily. "I wish I didn't have to report back, but I'll definitely take you some other time." He said with his typical smile.

"I'll hold you to that." Kennen responded.

Teemo nodded in response. "All right, let's get going." Teemo said, gesturing Kennen to follow him as he made his way to the stairs.

Kennen hesitated. "Is it okay for me to walk down with you?" The ninja yordle asked.

"Yeah." Teemo answered. "I already told them you were with me, so there's nothing to worry about." The scout explained.

"If you say so." Kennen said as he put his mask back on.

"You don't need to put on the mask anymore. Teemo pointed out. "I bet a lot of yordles would really happy to see you around."

As soon as Teemo said those words, Kennen remembered why he was really here. He shook his head. "I can't let others know I'm here." The ninja yordle responded with a small frown.

Teemo frowned and looked at his friend. "Can I know why?"

Kennen tensed up a bit.

"Sorry I shouldn't have-"

Kennen exhaled to relax and returned Teemo's gaze. "It's okay." He responded. "It's a sensitive subject for me, but I'll tell you." Kennen explained and took a brief pause. "I trust you."

Hearing those words come from his long-time childhood friend, whom he hasn't seen in several years, gave Teemo an indescribable giddy feeling in his chest. The scout's frown quickly turned into a warm smile as he nodded in response.

"Would it be okay to talk about this later?" Kennen asked cautiously. "I promise to tell you everything then, but can you keep my identity secret for now?"

"Of course." Teemo assured. "I can't guarantee that some high level officials like the mayor won't know at some point, since I have a duty to report as a captain."

"I understand." Kennen responded. This might blow his cover, but the ninja yordle understood the importance of duty well.

"However, I'll withhold your identity until I hear your situation and I'll speak to the mayor about keeping your identity hidden." Teemo explained.

"Are you sure Teemo?" Kennen questioned with concern. "I understand if you have to report my arrival. I wouldn't hold it against you."

"It's true that I have a duty to report back to my superiors, but I also have a duty to get to the truth of the matter." Teemo explained.

Kennen bowed. "Thank you."

Teemo smiled. "Besides, I'm pretty sure you didn't come here with any bad intentions." The scout said. "I trust you Kennen, so don't worry about it."

Kennen slowly straightened his back and looked at the scout. "Even after I a-"

The door to the rooftop stairs suddenly jiggled, startling both yordles. While it wasn't common for other yordles to come up here, Teemo knew some of his comrades came up for the view once in a while. Teemo quickly regained his composure to face whoever was coming through. The door opened to reveal a cadet.

"Captain Teemo?!" The cadet sputtered in surprise as he quickly saluted his captain.

Teemo smiled at the cadet. "At ease cadet." Teemo responded. "What brings you up here?"

"Just wanted to get some air captain." The cadet quickly responded. "What about you sir?"

"I'm just up here-" Teemo paused as he turned around and noticed that Kennen was nowhere to be seen. "Enjoying the view." Teemo said, swiftly recovering from the mild shock and turning to face the cadet once more. "Don't mind me cadet; I was just about to leave." The scout said as he walked past the cadet and towards the door.

"Have a good day captain Teemo!" The cadet said, saluting him once more.

"You too!" Teemo said as he started to go down the stairs.

The scout captain promptly made his way down the stairs and out of the headquarters. It suddenly dawned on him that he had no idea where Kennen was. The ninja yordle made such an abrupt exit that it made Teemo question whether he had been hallucinating Kennen the whole time. He looked around to see if he could spot his friend, but all he saw was the usual traffic of yordles. A tinge of worry started to build up in Teemo and he was about to search for Kennen until a couple of taps on his shoulder stopped him.

"Sorry about that. " Kennen said casually. "I didn't want him asking too many questions since that might put you in a difficult situation." The ninja yordle explained.

The scout turned around, startled by his friend's sudden reappearance. "Where did you go? How did you-"

"I'm a ninja remember?" Kennen pointed out with a smirk.

The scout relaxed a bit. "Right." Teemo responded with a smile. "I guess that's something I have to get used to."

"If it does happen again, don't worry too much about me." Kennen said. "I'll always be close by."

Teemo nodded. "Just try not to do that too much." The scout said with a low chuckle. "I almost thought you were still in Ionia."

Kennen stayed silent and responded with a curt nod.

After a few moments of tense silence, Teemo cleared his throat. "We should get going."

Kennen gave Teemo another affirmative nod. The scout signaled his friend to follow him and the pair walked towards the gates of the port city in uncomfortable silence. Once they got there, Teemo glanced back at his friend to make sure he was following suit. The scout was met with a familiar expression dating back to their childhood days. The ninja yordle's eyes were unfocused and his expression was stoic, as if he was distracted. Not a lot of things got to Kennen, but, when they did, he would either put up a front to not worry others or shut down like this. Kennen was usually determined not to let others him when he was down, so these types of episodes were very rare and usually in private. The fact that this was happening now worried Teemo and the worst part was that he didn't even know what caused it.

The atmosphere around them was tense and Teemo was struggling to understand why. Things were going really well until their last conversation and he couldn't find anything offensive in his words. All Teemo knew was that something was bothering Kennen and that was enough to worry him. Not wanting to push the issue further, Teemo wordlessly continued through the gates and out into the forest.

As the two yordles strolled through the trees in silence, the forest started to come alive. A soft turquoise glow outlined the trees as they moved to the gentle breeze. Tiny soft-glowing lights of different colors phased in and out around the leaves and bushes in an elegant rhythm giving it the appearance of a dance. The forest exuded an almost curious and lighthearted presence like that of a child beckoning to play.

Kennen looked around him. "What is this?" He wondered out loud.

Teemo turned around. "You know how you were saying that they wouldn't let us go into the forest alone when we were younger?"

Kennen nodded.

"This is why." Teemo answered cryptically, gesturing to the magical display.

Kennen suddenly smiled. "It feels so...alive." The yordle said as he reached out to touch a leaf.

Teemo grabbed his hand and led it away. "Many say the forest is alive and it loves to play around, which is why so many get lost." He explained. "I promise I'll show you some other time, but, for now, it's probably better if you don't touch anything."

Kennen glanced at Teemo and nodded.

As the two yordles stood there admiring the forest, silence overtook them once more. The once rigid atmosphere melted away and turned into a far more amiable one as the yordles watched the beautiful display in oblivious bliss.

Teemo silently thanked the forest for its intervention. He felt the tension dissipate from Kennen as he lowered his guard and that made Teemo happy. However, Teemo knew they would need to get a move on soon so, after a minute or two, he decided to let Kennen know. "We should keep moving."

Kennen shook his head a bit to refocus. "Right."

"And..." Teemo pulled the ninja yordle to his side by their still interlinked hands. "Walk with me." The scout said with a smile. "I still have a lot of questions I want to ask."

Kennen stumbled a little from being pulled but recovered quickly. "Whatever you say Teemo." Kennen said lightly bumping Teemo's shoulder with his.

It was then that it occurred to Teemo how long he had been holding on to Kennen's hand. He quickly let go of his friend's hand and put his own in his pockets. "Sorry." Teemo apologized sheepishly.

Kennen chuckled. "You always apologize for little things like this Teemo." Kennen teased. "You know it doesn't bother me."

Skinship was common in yordle society even with strangers and even more so with friends or family. Teemo knew this, but it had always been different with Kennen. He had no problem when it came to physical contact with other yordles, but, when it involves Kennen, it always made him excited and nervous. It was confusing to Teemo why he felt like this with one of his closest friends; it wasn't something that he could help or explain.

"I guess, but I haven't seen you in so long and..." Teemo paused as he struggled to form an explanation. "I just don't want to make things awkward." Knowing his explanation was less than adequate, the scout focused his gaze forward refusing to look at his friend.

"I don't know why you would think that." Kennen responded with a confused look. "We've gone through so much together. Heck, we've slept, bathed, and fought together. What's holding hands compared to all that?" He explained.

Teemo knew he was right. It was silly to feel so embarrassed over such a small gesture, when they've been through much more. Teemo chuckled and sighed. "That was years ago, but yeah you're right."

Kennen grinned at him.

Teemo smiled and shoved his friend. "Don't look so smug just because you were right this one time."

Kennen laughed. "What I'm trying to say that no matter how much time passes or where you are..." Kennen paused, gathering his words. "You'll always be important to me Teemo."

For the first time in a while, Teemo felt a genuine smile replace his usual one. Those words made Teemo feel giddy with happiness and it unnerved him how much of an effect the ninja yordle seemed to have on him. "You'll always be important to me too Kennen." The scout said, grinning like a madyordle.

Kennen smiled at him in return. "Now let's get going."

The two yordles continued on their trek to Bandle City. Teemo took this time to ask Kennen about his life in Ionia and his eventual rise into becoming a champion. From the event that got him recruited into the Kinkou to the moment he decided to leave, Kennen told Teemo everything he could. Whether it would be embarrassing, sad, or joyous moments, the ninja yordle seemed more than willing to open up. Teemo found it incredible how the impulsive yordle he used to know managed to temper himself through years of training and transform into a disciplined purveyor of justice. One thing that stood out to Teemo was that there was a stark contrast between the way Kennen described himself when living in Ionia and the Kennen that he knew. On the one hand, there was the fun-loving and aloof yordle he's always known and on the other there was the strict and calculating Kennen that he's been hearing about. What stood out most to Teemo though, were the expressions Kennen made as he told his story. It became clear to Teemo that Kennen had finally found purpose, which is something then scout knew his friend struggled with in the past, and that made him really happy. Despite feeling happy for his friend, a part of Teemo felt regretful for not being able to be a part of Kennen's life for the past 9 years.

When it came time for Teemo to answer Kennen's questions, he extended the same courtesy and opened up about most things. He told the yordle all about what happened after he left, such as his application and eventual enrollment into the Scouts of the Mothership. Teemo also made sure to tell him about Tristana's accolades as a yordle gunner and captain Rusk's retirement. Despite knowing that it might come to haunt him later, the scout shared some embarrassing moment that he knew the ninja yordle would get a kick out of. There were certain things, however, that Teemo didn't feel comfortable disclosing.

What he didn't tell Kennen was how his absence had affected him. He didn't tell him about how sad he was when the first letter arrived explaining that Kennen wouldn't be coming back; he didn't tell him about the near depressive episodes he had after the letters stopped coming; he didn't tell him about how he almost gave up on being a scout; he didn't tell about how much Tristana helped him through it all; and Teemo definitely didn't tell him about how, despite a nine year absence, he never gave up on the unlikely hope of seeing him again. Teemo also didn't tell him about the joy he felt when he finally got to see him again.

"So let me get this straight..." Kennen said in between laughs. "They got you to drink so much that they managed to persuade you into thinking you were invisible?"

"Yeah..." Teemo responded, scratching his head. "It wasn't my proudest moment okay? Stop looking so happy about it!" The scout shouted in indignation.

Kennen laughed. "Okay fine. I never thought you would be much of a drinker."

"Honestly, I'm not." Teemo explained. "But Trist convinced me to drink, since we were celebrating my admission into the Scouts of the Mothership."

Kennen nodded. "So what happened after that?"

"My memory is kind of fuzzy, but apparently I started to...prank them." Teemo said, unsure if he should go into more detail.

"You pranking people?" A glint appeared in Kennen's eyes as he got uncomfortably close to the scout. "What did you do? Tell me.

Teemo chuckled. "Nothing too bad! Just took some stuff and poked people because I thought they couldn't see me."

"And they went along with it?" Kennen asked.

"Yep. They all acted as if I was invisible." Teemo responded. "It was all innocent fun and games until I decided to prank Trist."

"Oh boy..." Kennen said, reminiscing on his past pranks on the purple yordle. "How did that go?"

Teemo shuddered at the memory. "Let's just say I sobered up pretty quickly and high-tailed it out of there."

Kennen raised an eyebrow. "What did you do?"

"Ah well..." Teemo went silent.

After a few seconds of waiting, Kennen got impatient. "Teemo!" Kennen shouted, nudging him.

The scout chuckled. "Fine, I'll tell you. Just wanted to see your reaction."

"You're the worst sometimes you know that?" Kennen responded.

"You used to do this to me all the time!" Teemo pointed out. "So if I'm the worst then so are you."

"Fair point." Kennen relented with a playful smile. "I guess we're both the worst."

"Anyways." Teemo said with a chuckle. "Since I thought I was invisible, I thought it would be funny if I took another yordle's hand and make it slap Trist's...rear." The scout said, ashamed of his past thoughts.

Kennen's eyes widened. "No way. You didn't..."

Teemo gravely nodded in affirmation. "I did."

After a couple seconds of silence, Kennen broke down in laughter.

"How are you still alive?!" Kennen asked.

"I had to hide for a while." Teemo responded sheepishly. "It also helps that she didn't remember a lot of it the next morning."

The two yordles shared a good laugh at the whole situation, until, suddenly, everything changed. Teemo watched as his friend's smile thinned out, body posture lowered into a battle stance, and eyes turned into a steel blue gaze. In less than a second, Kennen's aloof expression turned into a cold and menacing one. Kennen put his arm out to prevent Teemo from going any further.

"Someone's watching us." Kennen said in the coldest voice Teemo had ever heard form him.

The scout reaction was immediate as his mind instantly went to work. He knew these woods very well and the chances of any sort of enemy was extremely unlikely and, since yordles were usually dissuaded from going into this forest without an escort or some sort of company, it was also unlikely that it was just a random passerby. Then the answer hit him and he relaxed. He'd been so distracted with Kennen that he hadn't fully realize where they were right now.

Teemo quickly grabbed Kennen before he could take any action. "It's okay, I know who they are." The scout said with a smile.

Kennen seemed to relax a bit, but it was clear that he was still apprehensive about the situation, not that Teemo could blame him. The scout stepped past his friend and looked out into the forest.

"At ease!" Teemo shouted with authority. "Captain Teemo reporting for duty!"

At his words, several armed figures emerged from the trees and approached them.


End file.
